PHILADELPHIA — Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson agreed to terms on a $7 million, one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday to avoid salary arbitration.
The 28-year-old pitcher is coming off a 9-12 season in which he posted a 4.62 ERA in 27 starts and threw 146 innings for Arizona. He was traded by the Diamondbacks to the Phillies in November.
Hellickson bounced back with a healthy 2015. He went 1-5 with a 4.52 ERA in 13 starts in 2014 for Tampa Bay in a season that began three months late following arthroscopic surgery on his elbow. He didn’t make his first start of 2014 until July 8.
Ross, Cashner get raises from Padres that avoid arbitration
SAN DIEGO — Starting pitchers Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner received substantial raises Friday when they avoided arbitration with the San Diego Padres.
Ross will make $9,625,000 in 2016, up from the $5.25 million he earned last year, when he went 10-12 with a 3.26 ERA.
Cashner gets a raise from $4.05 million to $7.15 million. He went 6-16 with a 4.34 ERA.
Also settling were catcher Derek Norris, who gets a raise from $545,000 to $2,925,000, and pitcher Drew Pomeranz, who goes from $517,500 to $1.35 million after being acquired in a trade with Oakland.
Right-hander Joe Kelly gets $2.6M, 1-yr deal from Red Sox
BOSTON — Red Sox right-hander Joe Kelly reached agreement on a $2.6 million, one-year contract with Boston on Friday to avoid salary arbitration.
He received a substantial raise from his $603,000 salary last season, when the 27-year-old went 10-6 — matching his career high for wins — with a 4.82 ERA in 25 starts and a career-best 134 1-3 innings.
Left-hander Robbie Ross, who earned $566,500 in 2015, asked the Red Sox for $1,325,000 while the team offered $1,075,000 in figures exchanged Friday. The 26-year-old Ross was 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA and six saves in 54 appearances over his first year in Boston.
Right-hander Junichi Tazawa asked for $4.15 million as Boston countered with an offer of $2.7 million. Tazawa, who went 2-7 with a 4.14 ERA in 61 outings, made $2.25 million last year.
Reds shortstop Zack Cozart agrees to $2.925M, one-year deal
CINCINNATI — Reds shortstop Zack Cozart reached agreement on a $2,925,000 million, one-year contract to avoid salary arbitration.
The 30-year-old Cozart, who received a raise from his $2.35 million salary last season, batted .258 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs in 53 games and was off to a great start while healthy before a right knee injury in June ended his season and required reconstructive surgery. The three previous seasons he proved his durability by playing 138, 151 and 147 games.
Right-hander J.J. Hoover asked the Reds for $1.4 million and the team offered $1,225,000 million when the sides exchanged figures in salary arbitration Friday. Hoover earned $535,000 last season, when he went 8-2 with a 2.94 ERA in 67 appearances and 64 1-3 innings.
Indians lock up four players
CLEVELAND — The Indians hit a grand slam of sorts, coming to contract terms on their four remaining arbitration eligible players.
The team reached agreement before Friday’s deadline with Cody Allen on a $4.15 million contract for 2016. They also finalized deals with right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall ($2,725,000 million), starter Josh Tomlin ($2.25 million) and reliever Jeff Manship ($765,000).
Allen blossomed into one of the AL’s top closers last season, recording 34 saves in 70 games. The 27-year-old had a 2.99 ERA and converted in all but four of his outings. He recorded 16 straight saves during one stretch and saved 31 of his final 34 opportunities.
Allen started slowly, going 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA in April but settled in. Left-handed hitters batted just .176 (22 of 125) against him.
Chisenhall began 2015 as Cleveland’s every day third baseman, got demoted to Triple-A Columbus and finished the season playing well in right field. He batted .246 with seven homers and 44 RBIs in 106 games, but more impressive was his almost seamless transition to the outfield. He made several spectacular catches, and Chisenhall recorded three assists on Sept. 10 against Detroit, the first major league outfielder to accomplish the feat since 2007 and first Indians player to do it since Rick Manning in 1981.
Tomlin’s comeback was equally impressive. After undergoing shoulder surgery in March, the 31-year-old worked his way back to the majors and went 7-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 10 starts after Aug. 15.
Manship was a non-roster invite to spring training, was called up in June and had one of the best relief seasons in club history. He finished with a 0.92 ERA in 32 games — the lowest ERA for any major league pitcher with at least 30 games.
The Indians and reliever Bryan Shaw agreed to a $2.75 million contract for next season on Thursday.
Angels sign veteran reliever Al Alburquerque to 1-year deal
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels have signed veteran reliever Al Alburquerque to a one-year, $1.1 million contract.
The Angels confirmed the signing Friday night.
Alburquerque went 4-1 with a 4.21 ERA in a career-high 62 innings of relief for Detroit last season.
He had spent his entire five-year big-league career with the Tigers, going 17-6 with a 3.20 ERA and 276 strikeouts. Detroit elected not to tender a contract to him this winter.
The Dominican right-hander’s powerful fastball has declined in recent seasons, but he still has strikeout abilities and a high swing-and-miss ratio.
Alburquerque could fill a key role for the Angels, who traded hard-throwing young reliever Trevor Gott to Washington in a deal for veteran third baseman Yunel Escobar. Gott was manager Mike Scioscia’s seventh-inning specialist last season.
Los Angeles also exchanged arbitration proposals with right-handed starter Garrett Richards and right fielder Kole Calhoun, their remaining unsigned players.
Richards is asking for $7.1 million, and the Angels countered with $5.3 million. He made $3.2 million last year while winning 15 games and establishing himself as a top AL starter.
The Gold Glove-winning Calhoun asked for $3.9 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility, and the Angels countered with $2.35 million. The slugger made $537,500 last season while posting career highs of 26 homers and 83 RBIs.
Royals avoid arbitration with Dyson, four others
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Royals signed five players to one-year contracts Friday, leaving All-Star third baseman Mike Moustakas and All-Star outfielder Lorenzo Cain as their only unsigned arbitration-eligible players.
Pitcher Danny Duffy received the biggest deal at $4,225,000, plus a $50,000 bonus if he makes the All-Star team. The left-hander made $2,425,000 last season, spending most of the year in the starting rotation before working out of the bullpen during Kansas City’s run to the World Series championship.
Duffy is expected to fill one of the starting rotation slots again this season.
Jarrod Dyson received a raise from $1,225,000 last year to $1,725,000 this season. He’s in the mix to be one of the Royals’ primary outfielders, along with Alex Gordon and Cain.
Drew Butera got a $1,162,500 contract that includes $12,000 in performance bonuses and $50,000 for an All-Star selection. Fellow backup catcher Tony Cruz, who made $775,000 with St. Louis last year, got a $975,000 contract with a $50,000 All-Star bonus after his off-season trade to Kansas City.
Left-hander Louis Coleman will make $725,000, the same as last season. The specialist reliever can also earn a $50,000 bonus for making the All-Star team.
Salary arbitration figures were exchanged on Friday. If the Royals are unable to come to terms with Moustakas and Cain, their hearings would be held in February.
Moustakas made $2.64 million last season, when he hit .284 with 22 homers and 82 RBIs en route to his first All-Star selection. But considering his status as one of the franchise’s young cornerstones, the slick-fielding Moustakas is likely to get a significant raise.
Cain should also get a big bump after hitting .307 with a career-best 16 homers and 72 RBIs last season, and polishing his reputation as one of the game’s premier defensive outfielders. Cain earned $2,725,000 while also getting selected for his first All-Star game.
Rangers, Chirinos agree to 1-year, $1.55 M contract
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Rangers exchanged salary arbitration figures with first baseman Mitch Moreland and closer Shawn Tolleson on Friday, while agreeing on a $1.55 million contract with top catcher Robinson Chirinos.
Texas also agreed to a one-year contract with right-handed reliever Tanner Scheppers for $900,000, leaving Moreland, Tolleson and lefty reliever Jake Diekman as the unsigned players eligible for an arbitration hearing in February.
Moreland wants to double his salary to $6 million after making $2.98 million last season. The Rangers are offering $4.7 million after he had career highs in batting average (.278) and RBIs (84) and tied his best with 23 home runs.
The 30-year-old Moreland became the primary defensive option at first base, allowing Texas to make high-priced slugger Prince Fielder the designated hitter.
Tolleson is due for a big raise regardless after becoming the closer in May for the AL West champions and finishing fifth in the AL with 35 saves in 37 chances, the best rate in club history. He’s asking for $3.9 million with a club offer of $2.6 million. He made $519,700 last year, slightly above the major league minimum.
Chirinos was limited by a left shoulder strain over the final two months of his second full season with Texas. But he started three of five games in an AL Division Series loss to Toronto after getting a team-high 73 starts in the regular season.
The 31-year-old Chirinos hit .232 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in 78 games. He has a career average of .232 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs in 204 games.
Scheppers went 4-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 42 relief appearances in 2015.
A year earlier, he was converted to a starter in spring training and gave up seven runs in four innings of a 14-10 loss to Philadelphia in the opener. Scheppers made three more starts before going on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation, and was shut down for the season after four relief outings in June.
Scheppers battled right ankle and left knee injuries last season. His best year came as a reliever in 2013, when he was 6-2 with a 1.88 ERA in 76 appearances.
Diekman became one of the strongest lefty options out of the bullpen for AL Manager of the Year Jeff Banister after coming in the trade with Philadelphia featuring ace Cole Hamels.
After posting a 2.08 ERA in 21 2-3 innings in the regular season for Texas after the trade, Diekman appeared in four of the five games against the Blue Jays, allowing one run in six innings.
Diekman, who turns 29 next week, is seeking $1.55 million after making $535,500 last season. The Rangers are offering $975,000.
Nationals, Rendon agree to undisclosed terms
WASHINGTON — Infielder Anthony Rendon and the Washington Nationals have avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to contract terms.
The team announced on Twitter that it reached a deal with Rendon on Friday, when teams and players submit figures for arbitration. The Nationals did not reveal financial terms.
Rendon missed about half of last season because of injury, appearing in only 80 games and hitting .264 with five homers and 25 RBIs.
He’s the second Nationals player to agree to a contract this week instead of heading to arbitration, joining catcher Wilson Ramos.
Other Nationals players who filed for arbitration Tuesday were pitcher Stephen Strasburg, infielder Danny Espinosa and outfielder Ben Revere.
Pitchers Furbush, Scribner avoid arbitration with Mariners
SEATTLE — The Mariners reached agreement on one-year contracts with pitchers Charlie Furbush and Evan Scribner on Friday, averting salary arbitration with both players.
The deals with Furbush and Scribner left Seattle with no more arbitration eligible players after the club reached agreement with outfielder Leonys Martin on a $4.15 million deal for the 2016 season on Thursday. Furbush will make $1.6 million and Scribner $807,500 for the 2016 season.
Furbush will be entering his fifth full season with the Mariners after being acquired in a trade during the 2011 season. The left-hander was slowed last season by biceps tendinitis and did not pitch for Seattle after early July. But when healthy, Furbush has been a dependable option out of the Mariners bullpen. He made $1.3 million last season.
Scribner, a right-hander, was acquired in a trade with Oakland in December as part of Seattle’s off-season makeover. He was 2-2 with a 4.35 ERA in a career-high 54 appearances for the A’s last season when he made $512,500.
Dodgers avoid arbitration, sign 1-year deals with 4 players
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have reached one-year deals with closer Kenley Jansen, catcher Yasmani Grandal, infielder Justin Turner and reliever Luis Avilan, avoiding arbitration with all six of their players who had filed.
Jansen’s deal is worth $10.65 million, giving the 28-year-old right-hander a $3,225,000 increase from last season.
Grandal will earn $2.8 million in the coming season after making $693,000 last year. Turner signed for $5.1 million after making $2.5 million and Avilan will get $1.39 million.
Jansen converted 36 of 38 save opportunities last year and went 2-1 with a 2.41 ERA in 54 games over 52 1/3 innings. He has 142 saves since debuting for the Dodgers in 2010. Jansen was in his last year of arbitration eligibility.
Avilan, a 26-year-old left-hander, had a combined record of 2-5 with a 4.05 ERA in 73 games with the Braves and the Dodgers. After joining Los Angeles as part of a three-team deal with Atlanta and Miami, Avilan went 0-1 with a 5.17 ERA in 23 games over 15 2/3 innings.
Turner became the Dodgers’ starting third baseman last season, hitting a career-high 16 home runs with 60 RBIs in 439 plate appearances. He had knee surgery after the season.
Grandal had 16 homers and 47 RBIs last year. He became the starting catcher before a shoulder injury limited his second-half production. Grandal had shoulder surgery after the season.
Earlier in the week, pitcher Chris Hatcher agreed to a $1,065,000 deal and outfielder-first baseman Scott Van Slyke got $1,225,000. Both were one-year contracts.
Salary figures were due Friday, with a deadline of Feb. 1 for a settlement. After that, any unsettled cases would have gone to an arbitration panel, which decides a player’s salary.
Cardinals avoid arbitration with Rosenthal, Maness, Moss
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals agreed to one-year contracts with closer Trevor Rosenthal, reliever Seth Maness and first baseman-outfielder Brandon Moss, avoiding salary arbitration.
First baseman Matt Adams and the Cardinals agreed at $1.65 million too late before the Friday deadline, and both sides filed at the same figure.
The 25-year-old Rosenthal will make a huge leap to $5.6 million next year after setting a franchise record with 48 saves last year and leads the majors with 93 saves the last two seasons. He’s the seventh player in major league history to post consecutive 45-save seasons. Rosenthal made $530,000 last year.
The 26-year-old Maness pitched in a career-high 76 games last season, among the National League leaders. He’ll earn $1.4 million next season.
The 32-year-old Moss is getting a big raise to $8.25 million, up from $6.5 million last year. He combined for 19 homers and 58 RBIs with the Indians and Cardinals, who acquired him at the July 31 trade deadline.
White Sox agree to 1-year deals with Garcia, Putnam
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox have agreed to one-year contracts with outfielder Avisail Garcia and reliever Zach Putnam, avoiding arbitration.
Garcia is due $2.1 million and Putnam $975,000 next season. The agreements on Friday leave the White Sox with no remaining arbitration-eligible players.
The 24-year-old Garcia batted .257 with 13 home runs, 59 RBIs and 66 runs last season.
Putnam, 28, went 3-3 with a 4.07 ERA in 49 appearances
Right fielder Reddick gets $6.575M, one-year deal from A’s
OAKLAND, Calif. _ Right fielder Josh Reddick has reached agreement on a $6.575 million, one-year contract with the Oakland Athletics to avoid salary arbitration.
Oakland also settled with right-hander Fernando Rodriguez on a $1.05 million, one-year deal Friday. He asked for $1.05 million and paperwork necessitated the club offer the same salary.
Reddick batted .272 with 20 homers _ his second-highest total in seven major league seasons _ and 77 RBIs in 149 games last season for the A’s. An AL Gold Glover in right field in 2012, Reddick was limited to 114 and 109 games in the 2013 and ’14 seasons before bouncing back healthy last year. He dealt with a nagging right knee injury in ’14.
Rodriguez went 4-2 with a 3.84 ERA in 56 appearances and 58 2-3 innings with Oakland in 2015.
Rays sign 4 arbitration-eligible players to 1-year deals
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays agreed to one-year contracts with four of their five remaining arbitration-eligible players, leaving left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly as the only one who didn’t reach terms.
Smyly went 5-2 with a 3.11 ERA last season, when injuries limited him to 12 starts.
"It’s disappointing when we don’t reach an agreement before the filing date, but in the case of Drew there was honest effort on both sides, there was constructive dialogue on both sides, we just failed to find common ground, and that’s where the arbitrators could come into play," Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman said Friday.
"I’m confident it won’t alter our relationship with Drew or take away his focus on having a great season this year," Silverman added. "It’s just a reality. When you look at having 10 cases, having one or two that go to a hearing is probably the expected outcome."
First baseman Logan Morrison, right-hander Erasmo Ramirez and cacthers Hank Conger and Rene Rivera all agreed to one-year deals by Friday’s 1 p.m. deadline. Meanwhile, second baseman Logan Forsythe received a $10.25 million, two-year contract with a team option for 2018.
Morrison will earn $4.2 million, up from $2,725,000 last season in Seattle. Ramirez received a raise from $522,800 in 2015 to $2,375,000; Rivera from $1.2 million to $1.7 million; and Conger $1,075,000 to $1.5 million.
The Rays settled with pitchers Alex Cobb and Jake McGee and outfielders Desmond Jennings and Brandon Guyer on Thursday.
Rockies avoid arbitration with third baseman Nolan Arenado
DENVER — The Colorado Rockies have avoided salary arbitration with third baseman Nolan Arenado on Friday by agreeing to a $5 million, one-year contract, nearly 10 times the $512,500 he earned last year.
Arenado is coming off a season in which led the major leagues with 130 RBIs. He also tied Washington’s Bryce Harper for most homers in the National League with 42.
The 24-year-old Arenado also had a stellar season in the field as he captured his third straight Gold Glove award. He led all third basemen in total chances (507), assists (385) and double plays (42).
A second-round pick in 2009, Arenado has a career .281 batting average with 70 homers and 243 RBIs.
Two players swapped numbers with the team. Outfielder Charlie Blackmon asked for $3.9 million and the Rockies offered $2.7 million, while second baseman DJ LeMahieu asked for $3.3 million and was offered $2.8 million.
Tigers agree to deal with Iglesias, avoid arbitration
DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers have agreed on a one-year, $2.1 million contract with All-Star shortstop Jose Iglesias, averting arbitration.
Iglesias hit .300 last season with two home runs, 23 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. It was a successful return for the smooth-fielding infielder after he missed all of 2014 with stress fractures in both shins.
Iglesias turned 26 earlier this month.
The Tigers have only one unsigned player left who filed for arbitration, and that’s slugging outfielder J.D. Martinez. He asked for $8 million and was offered $6 million.
Iglesias, reliever Justin Wilson and infielder Andrew Romine agreed to deals. Iglesias’ deal was made Friday.
Brewers reach 1-yr deals with 3 arbitration-eligible players
MILWAUKEE — The Brewers and right-hander Wily Peralta reached agreement on a $2.8 million, one-year contract Friday to avoid arbitration, a big raise from his $525,000 salary last season.
Also reaching terms on one-year agreements Friday with Milwaukee were shortstop Jean Segura on a $2.6 million deal and left-hander Will Smith for $1,475,000 million. Segura made $534,000 last season and Smith $512,500.
After two straight seasons making 32 starts, Peralta went 5-10 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 starts while dealing with a nagging oblique strain.
Smith went a career-best 7-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 76 appearances over 63 1-3 innings last year.
Segura has played 146, 146 and 142 games the past three seasons, batting .257 with six home runs, 16 doubles, five triples and 50 RBIs in 2015.
Braves reliever Vizcaino gets 1-year deal for $897,500
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves settled their last potential salary arbitration case, reaching a one-year deal with reliever Arodys Vizcaino for $897,500 on Friday.
The 25-year-old righty made $575,000 last season. He went 3-1 with nine saves and a 1.60 ERA in 36 games.
Atlanta got Vizcaino from the Chicago Cubs after the 2014 season in a trade for infielder Tommy La Stella.
