JD Davis, Mets argue 1st salary arbitration case of year

NEW YORK (AP) — J.D. Davis and the New York Mets argued the first of 13 scheduled salary arbitration cases this month.

The third baseman and outfielder asked for a raise from $592,463 to $2,475,000 during Tuesday’s hearing before Gil Vernon, Mark Burstein and Jeanne Vonhof. The Mets argued for $2.1 million. Davis is eligible for arbitration for the first time.

Because of the pandemic, hearings are being conducted by Zoom for the first time rather than in person.

Still scheduled for hearings are Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes and pitcher Walker Buehler; Tampa Bay first baseman Ji-Man Choi and reliever Ryan Yarbrough; Houston shortstop Carlos Correa; St. Louis pitcher Jack Flaherty; Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ; Los Angeles Angeles pitcher/outfielder Shohei Ohtani; Baltimore outfielder Anthony Santander; San Francisco second baseman Donovan Solano; and Atlanta pitcher Mike Sorotka and shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Teams won seven of 12 hearings last year, including six of the first seven, and had a winning record for the fourth time in six years.

There were 112 players eligible for arbitration who agreed to one-year contracts on Jan. 15, the day players and figures swapped proposed figures. Those with deals included New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor ($22.3 million), Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant ($19.5 million), Dodgers outfielder first baseman Cody Bellinger ($16.1 million) and shortstop Corey Seager ($13.75 million), coming off the NL Championship Series and World Series MVP awards.

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