Oakland Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson headlines a group of 26 players who are eligible to go through arbitration four times after being granted Super Two status, according to MLB.com.
Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Players’ Association (MLBPA) finalized the list this week. It includes stolen base leader Dee Gordon of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera and Los Angeles Angels right-hander Garrett Richards, New York Mets closer Jenrry Mejia, Houston Astros slugger Chris Carter and Yankees pitcher David Phelps, just to name a few.
Players typically go through arbitration three times before they’re eligible for free agency, unless they meet the following criteria (courtesy MLB.com):
Only the top 22 percent of players with between two and three years of service time qualify for arbitration, provided they had at least 86 days of service time during the immediately preceding season.
The Super Two cutoff has significant impact on club payroll. These 26 players are now eligible to go through the arbitration process four times before reaching free agency, as opposed to the standard three. For the affected clubs, this could lead to millions of dollars in added payroll
This year’s cutoff for Super Twos was two years, 133 days of Major League service, which rose from 122 days last year and dropped from 139 after the 2012 season. Other players eligible for arbitration include those with between three and six years of Major League service.
The Super Twos who are already under contract for 2015 because of multi-year deals are the Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Ruzzo and Chicago White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana.
The following players are also classified as Super Twos:
Collin Cowgill, OF, Angels
Anthony Bass, RHP, Astros
Alex Presley, OF, Astros
Martin Maldonado, C, Brewers
Shane Robinson, OF, Cardinals
Hector Sanchez, C, Giants
Zach Britton, LHP, Orioles
Joe Wieland, RHP, Padres
Vance Worley, RHP, Pirates
Jared Hughes, RHP, Pirates
Drew Smyly, LHP, Rays
Louis Coleman, RHP, Royals
Casey Fien, RHP, Twins
Tommy Milone, LHP, Twins
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