ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Reliever Tony Watson has gone to arbitration with the Pittsburgh Pirates, asking for a raise from $3.45 million to $6 million.
Pittsburgh argued during Wednesday's hearing he should be paid $5.6 million, A decision by arbitrators Gil Vernon, Jeanne Wood and Steven Wolf is likely Thursday.
A 31-year-old left-hander, Watson had a 3.06 ERA in 70 relief appearances for the Pirates last year along with a 2-5 record. He was an All-Star in 2014, when he was 10-2 with a 1.63 ERA, and he had a 1.91 ERA in 2015.