Friday was the deadline for teams and players to exchange figures ahead of potential arbitration hearings. Over the last few years, more and more teams have used this deadline as the final chance to negotiate a deal before a hearing, opting to utilize the “file-and-trial” strategy. This trend has made Friday’s deadline all the more important, particularly for the Red Sox with so many high-profile players eligible for arbitration.
Before Friday rolled around, the Red Sox had agreed to deals with three of their twelve arbitration-eligible players, having signed Tyler Thornburg, Steven Wright and Heath Hembree to one-year deals to avoid a hearing.