Arbitration: Million Dollar Swings . . .

[Checkerboard]

John Patterson loses a million in arbitration and Todd Walker wins a million in arbitration.

Is it my imagination, or do the arbitration suits always end up splitting 50/50ish, team wins vs player wins? It's like the powers that be say to themselves, never mind the case being made here, we've had three player wins in a row, so it's time for a team win.

I guess it would look strange if teams (or players) were always winning.

[bigboydan]

I think the owners usually win these cases if i'm not mistaken they win at a pretty good rate too.

[Checkerboard]

I think the owners usually win these cases if i'm not mistaken they win at a pretty good rate too.

I guess the collecive bargaining agreement hammered out an agreed to process for selecting arbitrators. Do you know if the arbitrators have reputations, like some judges do in law courts?

[bigboydan]

That I do not know checkerboard.

[Willie Bee]

Don't know where to find all of the numbers over the years. My memory - - not always the best tool to go by - - has the owners slightly ahead, maybe something along the lines of six in their favor for every five in the players' favor.

The whole arbitration thing is just another thing wrong with the financial structure of the game. The new bargaining agreement might wind up better for the owners because you can now decline to offer arbitration and still negotiate with that player whereas before once you declined, you couldn't sign the player before May 1 (like the Clemens deal last year). That by itself could hold salaries down a little and help owners who don't want to roll the dice with an arbitration hearing.