Pitcher Edwin Uceta and Tampa Bay Rays go to arbitration with $325,000 gap in first case of year

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Pitcher Edwin Uceta and the Tampa Bay Rays argued the first salary arbitration case of the year Thursday, with the 28-year-old right-hander asking for $1,525,000 and the team arguing for $1.2 million.

A decision by the panel of Janice Johnston, Alan Ponak and Melinda Gordon will be held until other cases are decided or resolved.

Uceta was eligible for arbitration for the first time after going 10-3 with a 3.79 ERA in 70 relief appearances last year. He was a so-called Super Two, eligible because he has 2 years, 150 days of major league service — 10 days above the cutoff for this year's arbitration class.

Fourteen players remain scheduled for hearings, which run through through Feb. 13 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In the most prominent case, two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal asked for a record $32 million, while the Detroit Tigers offered the left-hander $19 million.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb