ASTROS Team avoids arbitration with everyone but Dubón
The Astros agreed to 2024 salary terms with six of their seven arbitrationeligible players before Thursday’s deadline, including starter Framber Valdez and right fielder Kyle Tucker.
Houston also agreed to terms with outfielder Chas McCormick and pitchers Bryan Abreu, Luis Garcia and José Urquidy, avoiding potential arbitration hearings with the six players. Utilityman Mauricio Dubón and the Astros did not reach an agreement and appear headed for an arbitration hearing this spring.
Thursday marked the deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to agree to salaries for 2024 or exchange salary figures for a potential hearing. The sides can continue to negotiate prior to the hearing, though some teams adopt a “file and trial” approach of not negotiating after figures are exchanged.
Tucker and the Astros agreed to a $12 million salary for 2024, according to a person with knowledge of the deal, avoiding going to an arbitration hearing for a second consecutive year. Tucker will more than double the $5 million salary he received in 2023 after losing his hearing to the team.
Tucker finished fifth in American League Most Valuable Player voting last season, leading the league with 112 RBIs and posting a .284/.369/.517 slash line with 29 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He garnered his second All-Star selection and first Silver Slugger award and was named a Gold Glove finalist.
Valdez agreed to a $12.1 million salary, an increase from his $6.8 million salary in 2023. The lefthander compiled a 12-11 record and a 3.45 ERA in 31 starts last season. He threw his first no-hitter and placed ninth in AL Cy Young voting.
Players with no less than three and no more than six years of major league service time are eligible for salary arbitration. Terms of the agreements reached between the Astros and their eligible players were confirmed by a person with knowledge of the deals.
Dubón is in his second year of eligibility. He made $1.4 million in 2023, when he played in a career-high 132 games, including at second base while Jose Altuve was sidelined by injuries and in center field later in the season, posted a .720 OPS and won the AL Gold Glove for utility players.
MLB Trade Rumors projected Dubón to receive a $3.1 million salary for 2024. If the Astros and Dubón do not reach a deal before a hearing, the sides’ respective salary figures will be presented at the hearing to an arbitration panel that will choose one of the two figures.
Urquidy and the Astros agreed to a $3.75 million contract in his second year of arbitration eligibility. The righthander missed part of last season with a shoulder injury and posted a 5.29 ERA in 16 appearances in the regular season. Urquidy made a $3.025 million salary in 2023.
McCormick, Abreu and Garcia were arbitration-eligible for the first time. McCormick agreed to a $2.85 million salary after posting an .842 OPS with 22 home runs last season.
Abreu agreed to a $1.75 million deal; the righthander made a team-high 72 appearances in 2023 as the Astros’ primary set-up man with a 1.75 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 72 innings. Garcia agreed to a $1.875 million salary; his 2023 season was curtailed after six starts by Tommy John surgery, and he is expected to return at some point in 2024.