St. Louis Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty is an outspoken member of the Players Association, often looking to move the ball forward for his fellow players. That, in the recent past, has included refusing to agree to the St. Louis Cardinals’ pre-determined price tag for his pre-arbitration years, forcing the team to renew him. And this year, it meant heading to arbitration with the Cardinals, after they submitted a $3 million price tag for him in 2021 and he countered at $3.9 million.
Today, Flaherty won his arbitration case over the Cardinals, and he was not at all subtle in rightly celebrating his victory (check the time stamps, and screenshotted here for posterity):
Source: Jack Flaherty won his arbitration case over the St. Louis Cardinals. He will make $3.9 million.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) February 13, 2021
— Jack Flaherty (@Jack9Flaherty) February 13, 2021
— Jack Flaherty (@Jack9Flaherty) February 13, 2021
The win for Flaherty isn’t just about the $900,000 extra he’ll get this year. It’s also about (1) setting up better and higher comp numbers for future arbitration-eligible pitchers, and (2) setting himself up for a nicer raise next year in arbitration, since it builds on prior years.
Good on you, man. You won. Celebrate.
Up next on the arbitration slate? Ian Happ and the Cubs next week. Happ requested $4.1 million and the Cubs offered $3.25 million. Hey, if he wins, he should celebrate, too.