Dallas Keuchel gets record $7.25MM in arbitration deal with Astros

(AP) The Houston Astros and reigning American League Cy Young award winner Dallas Keuchel avoided arbitration on Friday, agreeing on a one-year, $7.25 million contract.

At this point, your brain is probably overloaded after reading similar reports about players all over the league. However, on a day where several players agreed to arbitration deals, Keuchel’s stands out from the pack because it represents a record salary for a first-time arbitration-eligible pitcher.

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Dontrelle Willis and David Price previously held the record at $4.35 million, so Keuchel not only topped it, he blew right past it, which obviously bodes well for his future earnings.

With the baseline set, Keuchel is in line for a nice boost in salary in each of his two remaining arbitration seasons. If he continues to pitch at or around an elite level, he could even set two more records. It could also push the Astros toward locking him up with an extension that provides security for him and a stable salary figure for them to work around from year-to-year.

In fact, general manager Jeff Luhnow acknowledged Friday that an extension remains in play for their ace. That seems like a good play for them right now.

“If we can get additional control beyond that, we’re certainly going to attempt to do that,” Luhnow said Friday. “The allure of free agency as players get closer gets more and more attractive. It gets more difficult the more success a player has and the closer he gets to free agency [to sign him]. We’re going to keep trying. The good news for our fans is we have Keuchel under control for three more years, and those are three years we expect to win with him as our ace.”

Bottom line, Friday was a good deal for Keuchel, as his options should grow over the next few months. If and when extension talks come about, the ball should be in his court in terms of accepting security or betting on himself. Coming off a 20-win season in which he posted a 2.48 ERA and a 216/51 K/BB ratio over 232 innings, we couldn’t blame him for choosing the latter.

Of course, Keuchel’s deal should be welcomed news for other pitchers nearing arbitration and even those that remain in arbitration. Among those would be Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta, who has yet to reach an agreement with his club.

(AP) On Friday, Arrieta filed for a $13MM salary while the Cubs countered with $7.5MM. If no deal is met before a scheduled arbitration hearing, an arbitor will decide between those salaries. Given that Keuchel just received $7.25MM his first-year eligible, and given that Arrieta, who’s in his second year of eligibility, was the NL’s CY Young award winner, the scales have likely tipped in his favor.

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The only thing the Cubs could point to is the fact Arrieta would be more than doubling his 2015 salary at their offer. But it might not be worth fighting too strongly against Arreita’s asking price if they hope to sign him long-term. In fact, this could motivate them to get the ball rolling in that direction in short order as well.

A good portion of this is speculation, of course, but it also indicates the significance Keuchel’s record deal could have as soon the 10-week period between now and opening day. Beyond that, his deal will be a reference point for teams, players and agents deciding which course is the best to take in securing their future.

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