We at RR3 would like to be the first to wish you and your family a very happy Arbitration Day (applies to Joey Gallo, Danny Santana and Rafeal Montero only).

Today is the day clubs and players have to submit their respective salary numbers before going to arbitration and having an impartial panel choose which salary the player will get paid in 2020.

Or, they can just forgo the process altogether and just agree on a contract.

The Rangers have three players eligible for arbitration: Gallo, Santana and Montero. 

Players almost always get raises in arbitration. Even so, both sides prefer to avoid arbitration. It’s not the most pleasant process (other than having your salary increased 800 percent) because, in justifying why a team is offering their number, the player hears some less than flattering things the team thinks of him.

“Sure, the guy hit 35 home runs last year, but he can’t hit a fastball, can’t hit with two strikes, refuses to hit to the opposite field, his defense is a huge liability, he can’t run, he’s not the most attractive man, his nose is a bit big for his face, isnt’ it?, he is mean to animals, he’s a horrible tipper, he smells like soup, he can’t drive in a run from third to save his life, and he really is lucky to be in a major league uniform.”

Then, when it’s over, the player is supposed to act like nothing happened. Welcome back to the family. Sorry about that exposing those nasty warts and all thing. Oh, but enjoy that 800 percent pay increase.

The team has control of a player for six seasons once they bring him up to the major leagues. 

The first three, a player’s salary is totally dictated by the team. The next three seasons, by arbitration. The thought being, those are quite often the most productive years on a player’s career, and most players don’t even last that long in the big leagues. The only way for players to possibly get what they think they are worth is to go before a panel of judges and let him decide. Otherwise, teams would just slap major league minimum on a player.

Take Joey Gallo. This is his first year to be aribitration eligible. His salary in his rookie season was the major league minimum of $537,120. It went to $560,000 his second season and $605,000 his third. All, club controlled.

Now, through arbitration, his salary is expected to balloon to somewhere in the $4 million range, an 800 percent increase. 

Without arbitration, players wouldn’t be paid anywhere near what they are worth (in baseball world, not any semblance of the real world).

It’s the most powerful tool for players. This is where the money start getting crazy.

Happy Arbitration Day, everyone. May your wildest salary wishes come true.