Report: RHP Archie Bradley wins arbitration case against D-backs

Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley won his arbitration case, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Friday.

He’ll be paid $4.1 million in the upcoming season, the amount for which he filed arbitration. According to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert, the D-backs filed at $3.625 million. Per Spotrac, Bradley made $1.83 million last year, and 2020 his is second year of three arbitration years. He is eligible to become a free agent after that.

Bradley told Doug & Wolf on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station on Thursday more about the process of going through an arbitration hearing, which took place on Tuesday.

“Like I said, man, the way they handled it, to the way they communicate with me to even the next day,” Bradley said. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to talk about this, it’s not about my case, but just about Mike Hazen and how much respect I have for him, he called me in and straight up, he goes, ‘Hey bro, that sucked. Like having to sit there and listen to us talk bad about you, you don’t get to say anything, the floor is yours. You want to cuss me out? Whatever you want to say, bro, right here, you can look me in the face and tell me.’

“I’ve heard horror stories in the past, that was about cool and respectable as that process could’ve gone.”

Bradley, 27, enters his sixth MLB season and his fourth as a relief pitcher. Last season, he had a 3.52 ERA in 71.2 innings pitched with a 1.437 WHIP, that last number being the worst of his three years coming out of the bullpen.

He had somewhat of a tale of two seasons in 2019: In his first 34 games, Bradley had a 5.21 ERA, two blown saves and an opponents’ average of .290. The remaining 32 games of the season, Bradley had a 1.60 ERA, 18 saves and a .188 opponents’ average.

Passan added that of cases that saw arbitration this offseason, teams won seven of those; players won five.

Follow @mattjlayman