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Cincinnati Reds avoid arbitration with Fraley, Young, Antone, Sims and Stephenson

gordon wittenmyer, cincinnati enquirer
·2 min read
Jake Fraley
Jake Fraley

The Cincinnati Reds reached agreement on 2024 contracts with three of their six arbitration-eligible players before Thursday's 1 p.m. (EST) "deadline" and got two more done before the 8 p.m. deadline for unsigned players to exchange arbitration figures with clubs.

That left only Jonathan India, the Reds' 2021 Rookie of the Year in his first winter of arbitration eligibility, unsigned and apparently headed to an arbitration hearing.

Reliever Lucas Sims, the club's lone third-year eligible player, agreed to a one-year, $2.85 million deal later in the afternoon, followed by catcher Tyler Stephenson, who agreed to a $2.525 million deal.

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Among those to reach earlier deals Thursday was outfielder Jake Fraley, the lefty hitter with 27 home runs and a .794 OPS in 179 games since being acquired from the Seattle Mariners in the Jesse Winker-Eugenio Suarez trade two years ago. The first-time arbitration-eligible Fraley agreed to a $2.15 million deal plus a $50,000 bonus if he makes the All-Star team.

Outfielder Jake Fraley has 27 home runs and a .794 OPS in 179 games since being acquired from the Seattle Mariners. Fraley avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $2.15 million deal.
Outfielder Jake Fraley has 27 home runs and a .794 OPS in 179 games since being acquired from the Seattle Mariners. Fraley avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $2.15 million deal.

Relievers Alex Young ($1.16 million) and Tejay Antone ($830,000) also avoided arbitration with the Reds.

Most teams, including the Reds, have a "file-and-trial" policy of cutting off negotiations with arbitration-eligible players once arb numbers are exchanged, making Thursday night's deadline especially significant.

Infielder Jonathan India, in his first year of arbitration eligibility, remained unsigned after the deadline and is apparently headed to an arbitration hearing.
Infielder Jonathan India, in his first year of arbitration eligibility, remained unsigned after the deadline and is apparently headed to an arbitration hearing.

India, who was the subject of trade talks at the summer trade deadline and whose name came up again in rumors early this winter, would have a hearing scheduled during the two-week period between Jan. 29 and Feb. 16.

MLB and the players union agreed last month to move this week's arbitration filing deadline up one day from Friday.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Fraley, Young, Antone, Sims and Stephenson avoid arbitration.