ST. PETERSBURG — The payroll for the 2018 season will become clearer Friday afternoon after the Rays and their nine arbitration-eligible players exchange figures on one-year contracts.
Those who do not agree to the Rays’ offer will head to arbitration since the Rays are among a handful of "file-and-trial" teams. That means the Rays will not negotiate past Friday unless it is for a long-term contract.
The thought is this approach leads to better dialogue during the negotiating process, which could lead to deals being struck sooner, and makes the agent find a salary number that more accurately defines his player’s value over choosing a higher figure with the intent of settling on the midpoint between the two figures.