Today, which is Friday, marked the deadline for MLB teams and arbitration-eligible players to come together for a secret handshake, a hot cup of joe, and to reach an agreement on a salary for the 2019 season. Failure to do so by 1 PM ET today would mean that each player’s case would land in front of an arbiter, who would then decide whether the player’s demands or the team’s demands for their 2019 salary request was most correct, and every single thing about that just sounds awkward in an employer/employee relationship.
So, it’s always good to see player and team able to come to terms without needing that process to happen.