NEW YORK (AP) – NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta had the largest gap among 35 players who swapped proposed figures with their teams in salary arbitration, and new Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman also had a big difference.
After going 22-6 and helping the Cubs reach the NL Championship Series, Arrieta asked Friday for a raise from $3.6 million to $13 million. Chicago offered $7.5 million, leaving the sides $5.5 million apart.
Chapman, under investigation for domestic violence by Major League Baseball, requested a rise from $8,075,000 to $13.1 million. The Yankees, who acquired him from Cincinnati on Dec. 28, offered $9 million to the reliever, whose fastball regularly tops 103 mph.
Fewer than three dozen cases remain among the 156 players who filed for arbitration Tuesday.
Other players with sizable gaps included Kansas City outfielder Lorenzo Cain ($7.85 million vs. $5 million), new Mets second baseman Neil Walker ($11.8 million vs. $9.4 million) and Baltimore pitcher Zach Britton ($7.9 million vs, $5.6 million).