The Phillies and two players who both missed a significant chunk of 2013 for very different reasons could not agree to a contract number for 2014. Antonio Bastardo, who served a 50 game suspension for admitting performance-enhancing drug use from the Biogenesis Clinic, and Ben Revere, who suffered a broken ankle in July both filed numbers higher than the Phillies were willing to give them. And so, the Phillies and both could be headed to an arbitration hearing.
Bastardo asked for $2.5 million in 2014. The Phillies' number is $1.675 million. Matt Swartz of MLBTraderumors.com projected that Bastardo was worth about $2 million. As CSN Philly's Jim Salisbury points out, the midpoint is just under $2.1 million. That could be how the two sides settle before a hearing.
As for Revere, he asked for $2.425 million for 2014. The Phillies were willing to go $1.4 million. Swartz projected Revere to receive $1.5 million. A midpoint compromise for Revere would be just under $2 million.
If the Phillies and either player cannot agree on a contract for 2014, the two sides will head to an arbitration hearing where an arbiter will decide which side has a better number. Players and teams usually prefer not to go that route. The team's representation generally will argue the value of the player by highlighting the player's faults, making it a less-than-enjoyable experience for the player. The team would prefer not to risk losing and so often the player and the team just settles in the middle.
The Phillies have only lost one arbitration case in their existence. That would be Ryan Howard's 2008 arbitration hearing when the Phillies filed at $7 million and Howard filed at $10 million.
