Brewers reach deals with four remaining arbitration-eligible players to avoid hearings

The Milwaukee Brewers, who went to a salary arbitration hearing last February with right-hander Chase Anderson, assured there will be no repeats this year by reaching agreements Friday with their four remaining eligible players.

Closer Corey Knebel, starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson, second baseman Jonathan Villar and utility man Hernán Pérez reached deals with the club before the noon deadline for exchanging salary figures. They were the Brewers' remaining arbitration-eligible players from an original group of nine.

General manager David Stearns said negotiations with the "majority" of the four players "came down to the wire" before deals were struck. He also said the focus with all four was on one-year deals as the deadline approached.

"We're certainly pleased we were able to agree with all four of the remaining eligible players," said Stearns, whose policy is to discontinue negotiations and go to hearings with players unsigned at the deadline. That was the case last year with Anderson, who lost his hearing before an arbitration panel.

"That's always our position," he said. "We believe the process is designed to promote settlements. This year, we were able to settle all of our cases. We also know that hearings are a part of the process; we saw that last year."

All four players were eligible for arbitration for the first time and therefore received significant raises in pay. Knebel, eligible as a "Super 2" player (among the top 22% of players with between two and three years of service in the majors), jumped from a $538,900 salary to $3.65 million.

Later, Knebel posted this tweet about the deal:

Nelson, currently recovering from shoulder surgery, jumped from a $547,000 salary to $3.7 million. Villar, despite a disappointing season that cost him the starting job at second base, saw his pay boosted from $554,500 to $2.55 million. Pérez, who evolved as the Brewers' top utility player, jumped from $545,700 to $1.975 million. 

Timing is everything in life and Knebel, 26, took advantage of the chance to close games after Neftali Feliz failed badly and was released. He recorded 39 saves and posted a 1.78 earned run average while striking out a franchise-record 126 hitters in 76 innings. Knebel set a major-league mark by recording at least one strikeout in each of his first 45 appearances of the season. 

Nelson, 28, was having a breakthrough season (12-6, 3.49 ERA in 29 starts, 199 strikeouts) when he suffered a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder diving back into first base in a game against Chicago at Wrigley Field on Sept. 8. He did not pitch again and underwent surgery after the season that will sideline for an undetermined period in 2018.

Stearns said Nelson's injury played no significant role in negotiations for an new contract.

"Every negotiation is a little different, but generally you're talking about a player's performance on the field," he said. "Jimmy performed very well and deserved to be compensated for it, and certainly was."

Villar, 26, was offered a $23 million contract extension last spring after a tremendous debut with the Brewers in 2016 (major-league high 62 stolen bases, 38 doubles, 19 HRs, 63 RBI, .826 OPS). He turned it down, gambling on having another big year entering arbitration, but stumbled badly (.665 OPS, 11 HRs, 40 RBI, 23 steals) and played his way onto the bench.

Perez, 26, played seven positions and batted .259 with 14 homers and 51 RBI in 432 at-bats. 

With just over a month remaining before spring training begins, Stearns can now focus on personnel moves as he continues to try to strengthen his club.

"It's always good to focus on baseball," he said. "The more time we can focus on that, the better. We have a pretty good understanding of where our payroll will be and what flexibility exists."