Cubs avoid arbitration with Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber, Kyle Hendricks, Carl Edwards Jr., Mike Montgomery and Addison Russell
Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer avoided arbitration with all seven eligible players prior to Friday’s deadline. The Cubs have only gone to an arbitration hearing with one player, Justin Grimm, under the current baseball ops department.
The Cubs agreed to terms on one-year contracts with Kris Bryant ($12.9 million), Javier Baez ($5.2 million), Kyle Schwarber ($3.39 million) Kyle Hendricks ($7.405 million), Carl Edwards Jr. ($1.5 million), Mike Montgomery ($2.44 million) and Addison Russell ($3.4 million, with $600,000 in bonuses based on being on the roster for 150 days).
The front office knows what is left in the budget in order to add to a Major League roster that has holes in the bullpen and the everyday lineup.
The Cubs Convention, the unofficial kickoff to Spring Training, kicks off Friday (Jan. 18) and runs through Sunday (Jan. 20). Cubs’ pitchers and catchers report to Mesa on Feb. 13, position players report on Feb. 18. And the first full squad workout is slated for Feb. 19.
Cubs baseball is right around the corner.