8:21 pm: MLB.com’s Mark Finsand reports the financial meltdown (on Twitter): base salary of $5.5 million with a $150,000 purchase on the swap option for next season. Evelyn will get an additional $50K for access to 100 and 125 rounds, $75K for 150 rounds, and finally $125,000 for 175 rounds.
4:37 pm: Phillies and the beginning Zach Evelyn They have reached a contract agreement to avoid arbitration, reports Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia (on Twitter). Bob Nightingale reports from USA Today (Twitter link) that Eflin would guarantee $5.7 million, and the deal contained an additional $300,000 in potential performance bonuses. The contract also contains a 2023 mutual option of $15 million per Nightengale. Evelyn is a client of O’Connell Sports Management.
Agreeing to the terms avoids the necessity of a hearing for Evelyn, who was eligible to arbitrate for the last time. His camp advanced with a salary of $6.9 million, while the team was seeking $5.15 million. Evelyn’s guarantee comes in a little bit off his midpoint of $6.025 million, but he could get this far if he unlocks all the performance bonuses.
Arbitration salaries are usually set in the off-season, with any hearings that prove necessary most commonly occur in February. This last season’s shutdown put the league’s business on hold for 99 days, however, prompted some hearings into the regular season. This isn’t a desirable setup for anyone, and both Phils and Eflin are certainly happy to avoid the process. The arbitration chapter in Philadelphia is now over.
Evelyn, 28, is set to arrive at free agency for the first time next season. The heavy ball player will be one of the younger arms available, and has settled into place as an efficient and reliable mid-spin arm. Evelyn’s ERA scored between 3.97 and 4.36 every season from 2018 to 21. He consistently posted walk averages a few points below the league average while spurting attacking and grounding hits at slightly above average marks. On an average basis, this is a good annual production.
Combined with his youth, that kind of stability should make Evelyn one of the best arms in the freestyle customer category this coming winter. The only real concern appears to be his health history, as he has dealt with chronic issues with both knees throughout his career. The 2016 joint surgery eased problems for a while, but Evelyn dealt with recurring patella issues in his right knee late last season. This culminated in another measure last September, one that ended his season.
Evelyn has maintained his health (aside from his short stay on the COVID-19 roster) so far into 2022. He’s off to a typically strong start, posting a 3.65 ERA through 37 runs. The right-handed has a periodic strike rate of approximately 23% and a ground ball rate of 45.9%, while his walk rate of 4.6% is among the best in the league. he joined Zach WheelerAnd Aaron NolaAnd Kyle Gibson And goalkeeper suarez To form one of the best baseball teams.
The inclusion of the cross option theoretically raises the possibility of Eflin avoiding the open market altogether, but it is rarely practiced by both parties. Instead, it’s usually an accounting measure designed to defer the payment of some salary back a few months — in the form of a post-season purchase on the option, rather than the salary that is distributed regularly throughout the season. If Evelyn remains healthy and productive all season, he will likely turn down his end of option in search of a multi-year deal on the open market.
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