MLB Rumors: J.T. Realmuto, George Springer Among Players Going to Arbitration

The January 10 deadline to file salary figures has come and gone, with a host of big-name MLB players headed to arbitration hearings.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto and Houston Astros outfielder George Springer are among the arbitration-eligible players who failed to reach agreements with their clubs, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

While teams and players can still strike deals anytime before an arbitration outcome, Passan noted this year's class is large. Others headed to arbitration include shortstop Trevor Story, left fielder Andrew Benintendi, outfielder Joc Pederson and pitchers Jose Berrios and Josh Hader.  

Passan added there could be "extremely big numbers" in the hearings given the level of talent headed for arbitration.

Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors projected the combined arbitration salaries of Realmuto ($10.3 million), Springer ($21.4 million), Story ($11.5 million), Benintendi ($4.9 million), Pederson ($8.5 million), Berrios ($5.4 million) and Hader ($4.6 million) will top $66 million.

In Hader's case, the hard-throwing lefty reliever submitted a request for $6.4 million, while the Brewers countered with $4.1 million, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

But as Passan noted, baseball's labor market has slowed in recent years, so the onus is on the players to fight for everything they can get. He added that it isn't as easy for smaller agencies to do that since the arbitration process can get costly. 

That shouldn't concern Realmuto, Springer, Story, Berrios, Pederson and Benintendi, who are represented by the likes of CAA, Wasserman Media Group and Excel Sports Management—three of the larger agencies in sports. 

Hearings are scheduled to take place from February 3-21, wrapping up shortly after pitchers and catchers typically report to spring training.