Hunter Pence and the Astros wrapped up MLB’s third and final arbitration hearing of the winter earlier today, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
Following the three-hour, 45-minute hearing, Astros general manager Ed Wade said that he expects the three-person panel to render a decision sometime tomorrow.
“This is part of the process we go through when you can’t reach a negotiated settlement, and now it’s all about baseball,” Wade said.
Pence filed for $6.9 million and was offered $5.15 million from the Astros when arbitration figures were exchanged last month. The 27-year-old earned $3.5 million in his first time through the arbitration process last winter as a Super Two. He batted .282/.325/461 last season while slugging 25 home runs for the third consecutive year and setting career-highs with 91 RBI, 93 runs scored and 18 stolen bases.
As mentioned above, we only saw three arbitration cases go to a hearing this winter, down from eight last offseason. Ross Ohlendorf won his case against the Pirates while the Angels won against Jered Weaver.
