ATLANTA (AP) — Miami Marlins infielder Joey Wendle is guaranteed $4,625,000 under a one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration, a deal that could be worth up to $11.55 million for two seasons.
Wendle gets a $4.55 million salary this year under the contract agreed to late Thursday, and the deal include a $6.3 million mutual option for 2023 with a $75,000 buyout payable if the team declines the option.
The option price can escalate by $700,000 based on plate appearances this season: $100,000 for 250 and each additional 50 through 550.
Wendle had been scheduled for a hearing Tuesday — his 32nd birthday. He had asked for a raise from $2.25 million to $4.9 million and had been offered 4.35 million.
Eligible for free agency after the 2023 season, Wendle was traded to Miami by Tampa Bay on Nov. 30, the day before the lockout began.
He is hitting .314 with four RBIs in 35 at-bats this season after batting .265 with a career-best 11 homers along with 54 RBIs last year.
Twenty-one players remain scheduled for hearings, which run through June 24. Hearings usually take place in February but were delayed because of the lockout.
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