Expected arbitration salary in 2026

Matt Swartz created a model to predict salary for qualified players, and we have been publishing for 15 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) trade rumors.
In the baseball industry, teams and agents determine arbitration salary by identifying comparable players. It would take a lot of time and effort to project the entire arbitration class in this way. Therefore, Matt developed an algorithm to project an arbitration salary that focuses on player’s playing time, position, role, and performance statistics while taking into account inflation. The performance of comparable players is important, but our system does not directly select individual compatibility for each player.
As a disclaimer, it should be emphasized that our forecasts should not be used as a scorecard for agents and teams at the individual player level. A player who is better or worse than our projections doesn’t mean anything. Our arbitration forecasting is a tool created for readers to understand the team’s salary profile.
While the included service time figures are formal, there is no established super two cutoff, which depicts two to three years of service eligible for early arbitration. This may result in some late participants being added to the list. It is also worth noting that contracts signed before the non-scheduled deadline are not usually considered a normal arbitration comparable process; contracts signed before this deadline may be biased in a picky manner towards non-standby candidates (in which case in “leave” units). This is not the universality of all pre-customed trading, but it is often applicable.
Another note: Teams are becoming more common, negotiating with club options or club options that cover additional arbitration seasons. We have noticed that all players who have the option to choose the 2025 season under the terms of the previous agreement. If the team purchases this option, the player will not become a free agent. Any agreed acquisition (if any) was reached under the terms of the previous agreement and he will pass the arbitration process again this winter.
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predict:
Angel (10)
Astronaut (16)
Track and Field (5)
Blue Bird (7)
Brave (8)
Winemaker (7)
Cardinal (9)
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Rattlesnake (11)
Dodgers (9)
Giant (5)
Guardian (8)
Marlin (7)
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Philadelphia (9)
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