Brewers reach 1-year deals with Josh Hader, Brandon Woodruff - MLB

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers avoided going to arbitration with pitchers Josh Hader and Brandon Woodruff by agreeing to one-year contracts with the former All-Stars.

Hader signed for $6,675,000 while Woodruff agreed to a $3,275,000 deal. The Brewers don’t have any arbitration cases.

Last year, Hader lost an arbitration case that resulted in a $4.1 million salary, which was pro-rated to $1,518,519 in the pandemic shortened the season. Hader said after his arbitration case last year that he believed the system is outdated and doesn’t account for the fact that high-leverage relievers now occasionally pitch earlier in games.

Hader, who turns 27 on April 7, has been one of the game’s top relievers over the last few seasons and made the NL All-Star team in 2018 and 2019.

The left-hander was 1-2 with a career-high 3.79 ERA in 21 games last year, but six of the eight runs he allowed came in just two appearances. He had an NL-leading 13 saves while striking out 31 and allowing just eight hits in 13 innings.

In his four-year career, Hader has a 2.54 ERA with 62 saves and 380 strikeouts in just 223 2/3 innings.

Woodruff, who turns 28 on Feb. 10, went 3-5 with a 3.05 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings last season. The right-hander tied for the NL lead in starts and ranked fourth in the NL in innings pitched.

Woodruff had a 2020 salary of $633,100 that was pro-rated to $234,481 due to the shortened season.

That came after a 2019 season in which he made the NL All-Star team but missed nearly two months with a left oblique strain. Woodruff went 11-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 22 starts that season.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.