Marlins agree to deals with three players and will head to arbitration with another
The Miami Marlins have agreed to contract terms with three players — including versatile infielder Jonathan Villar — for the 2020 season and appear to be heading to an arbitration hearing next month with first baseman Jesus Aguilar.
Villar, along with pitchers Adam Conley and Jose Urena, agreed to deals before Friday’s deadline for teams to submit salary figures to arbitration-eligible players.
As for Aguilar, he and the Marlins will most likely head to an arbitration meeting at some point between Feb. 3 and Feb. 21 to settle on his salary for the 2020 season. Teams and players are allowed to continue negotiating a deal until the meeting takes place. The Marlins, however, are typically a file and trial team, meaning they set Friday as a hard deadline and will go to arbitration if an agreement isn’t in place by then.
At the meeting, each side will make their case to a three-person panel about why Aguilar deserves a specific salary. The panel will pick one of the two salary numbers — either the figure submitted by the player or the figure submitted by the team — and that will be his salary for the season.
Aguilar, a 29-year-old right-handed hitter who the Marlins claimed off waivers in December, has hit 63 home runs over the past three seasons and was a 2018 All-Star with the Milwaukee Brewers when he belted out 35 home runs and drove in 108 runs while hitting .274.
Villar, who the Marlins acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in December, settled with the Marlins for $8.2 million, as first reported by MLB Networks Jon Heyman. Villar hit .274 last season with career-highs in home runs (24), runs scored (111) and RBI (73) to go along with 33 doubles and 40 stolen bases. He was one of five players to play all 162 games in 2019. Villar earned $4.825 million last season with the Orioles.
Conley will make $1.525 next season, according to South Florida-based broadcaster Craig Mish. The Marlins are hoping for a rebound season from the 29-year-old left-handed reliever after he went 2-11 with a career-worst 6.53 ERA in 60 relief appearances while striking out 53 batters and walking 29 over 60 2/3 innings.
Urena, a 28-year-old right-handed pitcher who made $4 million last season, was the club’s Opening Day starter each of the past two seasons but finished 2019 as a late-inning reliever after suffering a herniated disc in his lower back midway through the season. Urena went 4-10 with a 5.21 ERA, 62 strikeouts and three saves over 24 appearances (13 starts).
Questions still remain about what Urena’s future role would be for the 2020 season. Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said this week Urena will be given opportunities to make the Opening Day roster as either a member of the starting rotation or the bullpen.
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