SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Starter Kyle Bradish beat the Baltimore Orioles and catcher Yainer Díaz defeated the Houston Astros in the first salary arbitration rulings to emerge in baseball this year.
Bradish got a raise from $2.35 million to $3.55 million, instead of the Orioles’ offer of $2,875,000. Diaz received a raise from 805,600 to 4.5 million instead of the Astros’ proposed 3 million.
Melinda Gordon, Chris Cameron and Steve Raymond made the decision on Bradish. John Stout, Robert Herman and Brian Keller ruled on Diaz. Both cases were argued Monday.
Bradish, a 29-year-old right-hander, returned to the Orioles on August 26 following Tommy John surgery in June 2024. He struck out ten in six innings, while also allowing two runs in a loss to Boston. He finished with a 1-1 record and a 2.53 ERA in six starts, striking out 47 and walking ten in 32 innings.
Bradish has a 19-15 record with a 3.47 ERA in four major league seasons with the Orioles and is on track to be eligible for free agency after the 2028 World Series.
Díaz, 27, hit .256 with 20 home runs and 70 RBIs last year after posting a .299 average with 16 homers and 84 RBIs in 2024.
The Dominican has a .279 average with 59 home runs and 215 RBIs in four seasons in the Major Leagues, all with the Astros.
Left-hander Eric Lauer argued his case with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, asking for $5.75 million instead of the team’s offer of $4.4 million. The decision by arbitrators Scott Buchheit, Howard Edelman and John Woods will be announced pending further cases.
Lauer went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 15 starts and 13 relief appearances last year, striking out 102 and walking 26 in 104 2/3 innings. He spent much of 2024 with Houston’s Triple-A team in Sugar Land.
In August, he signed with the Kia Tigers of South Korea.
Lauer, 30, has a 45-39 record with a 4.13 ERA in seven seasons with San Diego (2018-19), Milwaukee (2020-23) and Toronto. He is on track to be eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series.
He earned a salary of 2.3 million in 2025.
Eight additional players remain scheduled for hearings, which will extend through February 13.
In the remaining high-profile case, two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal asked for a record $32 million, while the Detroit Tigers offered the left-hander $19 million.
Decisions remain pending for Atlanta left-hander Dylan Lee (2.2 million vs. 2 million) and Tampa Bay right-hander Edwin Uceta (1,525,000 vs. 1.2 million).
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