Pitcher Edwin Uceta and Tampa Bay Rays go to arbitration with $325,000 gap in first case of year

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Pitcher Edwin Uceta and the Tampa Bay Rays argued the first salary arbitration case of the year Thursday, with the 28-year-old right-hander asking for $1,525,000 and the team arguing for $1.2 million.

A decision by the panel of Janice Johnston, Alan Ponak and Melinda Gordon will be held until other cases are decided or resolved.

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Uceta was eligible for arbitration for the first time after going 10-3 with a 3.79 ERA in 70 relief appearances last year. He was a so-called Super Two, eligible because he has 2 years, 150 days of major league service — 10 days above the cutoff for this year’s arbitration class.

Fourteen players remain scheduled for hearings, which run through through Feb. 13 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In the most prominent case, two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal asked for a record $32 million, while the Detroit Tigers offered the left-hander $19 million.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

The Associated Press