Arbitration avoidance roundup: Loose ends

By noon we’d already done a dozen posts about players and teams avoiding arbitration ahead of today’s deadline, so something had to give.

We’ll keep posting the more noteworthy cases, but here’s a roundup of the not-so-noteworthy ones that will be updated throughout the day.

• Gaby Sanchez and the Pirates: $1.75 million

• Antonio Bastardo and the Phillies: $1.45 million

• Gregor Blanco and the Giants: $1.35 million

• Sam Fuld and the Rays: $725,000

• Troy Patton and the Orioles: $815,000

• Joe Smith and the Indians: $3.15 million

• Tommy Hanson and the Angels: $3.725 million

• John Axford and the Brewers: $5 million

• John Baker and the Padres: $930,000

• Jonny Venters and the Braves: $1.625 million

• Boone Logan and the Yankees: $3.15 million

• Brian Duensing and the Twins: $1.3 million

• Luke Hochevar and the Royals: $4.56 million

• Matt Joyce and the Rays: $2.45 million

• Ryan Roberts and the Rays: $2.95 million

• Bud Norris and the Astros: $3 million

• Gordon Beckham and the White Sox: $2.925 million

• Ryan Webb and the Marlins: $975,000

• Doug Fister and the Tigers: $4 million

• Austin Jackson and the Tigers: $3.5 million

• Alex Avila and the Tigers: $2.95 million

• Alejandro De Aza and the White Sox: $2.075 million

• Rick Porcello and the Tigers: $5.1 millon

• Kendrys Morales and the Mariners: $5.25 million

• Chris Davis and the Orioles: $3.3 million

• Brian Matusz and the Orioles: $1.6 million

• Jason Heyward and the Braves: $3.65 million

• Matt Albers and the Indians: $1.75 million

• Kris Medlen and the Braves: $2.6 million

• Marco Estrada and the Brewers: $1.955 million

• Burke Badenhop and the Brewers: $1.55 million

• Ian Kennedy and the Diamondbacks: $4.265 million

• Brendan Ryan and the Mariners: $3.25 million

• Tyler Colvin and the Rockies: $2.275 million

• Ronald Belisario and the Dodgers: $1.45 million

• A.J. Ellis and the Dodgers: $2 million

• Phil Coke and the Tigers: $1.85 million

• Brennan Boesch and the Tigers: $2.3 million

• Justin Masterson and the Indians: $5.687 million

• Ian Desmond and the Nationals: $3.8 million

• James Russell and the Cubs: $1.075 million

• Jeff Samardzija and the Cubs: $2.64 million

• Alfredo Aceves and the Red Sox: $2.65 million

• Jason Vargas and the Angels: $8.5 million

• Edinson Volquez and the Padres: $5.725 million

• Andrew Bailey and the Red Sox: $4.1 million

• Daniel Bard and the Red Sox: $1.8625 million

• Franklin Morales and the Red Sox: $1.4875 million

• Andrew Miller and the Red Sox: $1.475 million

Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman might be headed to the disabled list soon, manager John Gibbons told reporters following Friday’s rain-shortened loss to the Yankees. The righty lasted just four innings on the mound before calling it a night, and gave up five runs, six hits and two walks in a performance that Gibbons claimed was at least partially affected by recurring blister issues on his right middle finger. Now, it looks like he might be removed from the rotation for some much-needed rest and rehabilitation; if so, it’ll be his second such stint this year.

Stroman, 27, has struggled to return the kind of winning record and sub-4.00 ERA that characterized his previous seasons with the club, mostly due to the combined seven weeks he missed with blisters on his throwing hand and chronic fatigue in his right shoulder. In a recent start against the Rays, things got even more gruesome when his blister appeared to start bleeding in the middle of his outing and MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm notes that the wound has constantly interfered with the right-hander’s pitch selection and delivery. When healthy, Stroman has managed a 4-8 record through 18 starts in 2018 with a career-worst 5.27 ERA, 3.2 BB/9 and 6.8 SO/9 in 100 2/3 innings. This will be the first year since 2015 in which he has not logged at least 200 innings in a single season.

While Stroman may not need an extended stay on the DL before he returns to the mound, it’s not clear what kind of timetable the Blue Jays expect for his recovery. He’s been the second-most valuable starter (behind the now-traded J.A. Happ) in a rotation that currently ranks 17th in the majors with a combined 4.90 ERA and 6.8 fWAR.