Jake Odorizzi won his arbitration hearing against the Rays and will be paid $6.3MM in 2018 as opposed to the $6.05MM figure submitted by the team, reports Marc Tokpin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). It’s a $2.2MM raise overall for the right-hander, who earned $4.1MM in 2017. Odorizzi recently hired Excel Sports Management as his new representation after leaving CSE following the scandal involving former agent Jason Wood.
Odorizzi, 28 next month, has now topped the Rays in arbitration hearings in consecutive years, though his 2017 performance was not nearly as strong as his 2016 showing. This past season, Odorizzi worked to a 4.14 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in 143 1/3 innings — a step back from 2016’s 187 2/3 frames of 3.69 ERA ball with an identical K/9 mark and a vastly superior 2.6 BB/9 rate.
Odorizzi’s name has come up frequently in trade rumors this offseason even with Spring Training underway, as the Rays are reportedly still looking to shed some payroll before the season begins. He’s been connected to the Twins, Brewers and Orioles, among other teams, in recent weeks.