The Braves won their arbitration case against starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz on Saturday, resulting in a difference in only $100,000 less than they would’ve paid if he’d won. He’ll make $2.2 million in 2018, a person close to the situation said.
Making the outcome even less significant was this: Foltynewicz became a father earlier Saturday when his wife, Brittany, gave birth to their son, Michael Jett Foltynewicz. He weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces, Foltynewicz announced in on his Instagram account, posting a picture of the baby.
When the Braves and Foltynewicz swapped salary arbitration figures Jan. 12, the Braves filed at $2.3 million and Foltynewicz at $2.2 million, the smallest difference in any of the major league arbitration cases this year.
Since the Braves, like a majority of teams, have a “file-and-trial” policy, it meant there would be no negotiating after the sides filed, even though they presumably could have met halfway and paid $2.25 million. The file-and-trial policy means once the sides swap salary-arbitration figures, the Braves will not negotiate before the arbitration hearing unless it’s for a multi-year deal.
The Braves have no more arbitration cases, and pitchers and catchers report to spring training Tuesday and have their first workout Wednesday.
Foltynewicz, 26, is coming off a roller-coaster season in which he went 10-13 with a 4.79 ERA in 29 games (28 starts) before sustaining a cut finger Sept. 14. He was 9-1 with a 3.56 ERA in 14 starts from May 12 through July 25 – the best stretch of pitching in his career -- but was 1-8 with a 7.27 ERA and .307 opponents’ average in his last nine starts, lasting fewer than six innings in all but three games.
The right-hander is 23-25 with a 4.87 ERA in 85 games (65 starts) over parts of four major league seasons, including three with the Braves after a late-season stint as a reliever with the Astros in his 2014 debut.
Entering the offseason, MLBTradeRumors.com projected a $2.7 million salary for Foltynewicz, who was eligible for arbitration for the first time after making $544,000 in 2017.
It was only the second Braves arbitration case to go to a hearing in the past 17 years, but also the second in four years. Left-hander Mike Minor won his case in 2015, the first time the Braves went to an arbitration since 2001, when Andruw Jones won his case and got $8.2 million – an arbitration record at the time – after the Braves offered $6.4 million.
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