Atlanta has six arbitration-eligible players ahead of the 2021 season. The Braves must tender each a contract by Dec. 2, or the player becomes a free agent.
Players with three or more years, but less than six years of league service, are eligible to exchange salary figures with the team before the Jan. 15, 2021, deadline. If middle ground isn’t reached, the parties will proceed to an arbitration hearing. The sides can still negotiate and avoid a hearing after the deadline.
The players who fall under the category for 2021 are: outfielder Adam Duvall; infielders Johan Camargo, Charlie Culberson and Dansby Swanson; and relievers Luke Jackson and Grant Dayton.
The Braves avoided arbitration with five of those players last winter. Culberson was non-tendered and later signed to a minor league deal. He appeared in just 10 games this season and was designated for assignment before rejoining the Braves on the postseason roster.
In is first-time eligible last winter, Swanson reached a one-year deal for $3.15 million (prorated to $1.16 million), after hitting .251 with 17 homers and 65 RBIs in 127 games in 2019. Swanson hit .274 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs in the 60-game shortened season. According to MLB Trade Rumors projections, Swanson could demand between $4.3 million and $5 million.
Duvall, who hit .237/.301/.532 during Atlanta’s postseason run, agreed to a $3.25 million deal (prorated to $1.2 million). He, too, could demand upwards of $4 million. He sustained an oblique injury during the National League Championship Series.
The Braves last went to arbitration in February 2018, when the team won a hearing over first-time-eligible Mike Foltynewicz. They went to court over a disagreement of $100,000, which was the smallest difference to prompt arbitration since 1994. Last winter, Foltynewicz agreed to a one-year contract for $6.425 million. He was outrighted to the team’s alternate training site in Gwinnett after being designated for assignment. He finished the season in Gwinnett and is a minor league free agent.
