BRADENTON, Fla. - Most of the players on the Pirates' 40-man roster will receive raises of tens of thousands of dollars this season, thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement.
The five-year deal between Major League Baseball and the players' union, which was approved in October, hiked the minimum salary to $380,000. That's an increase of 16.2 percent from last year, when it was $327,000.
The only players who earn anything close to the minimum, of course, are "zero-to-three" guys -- those who have less than three years' service time in the majors and thus are not eligible for arbitration. They have to accept whatever salary terms are offered by their team.
The Pirates have 26 zero-to-three players on their 40-man roster. The group includes the core of the starting rotation -- Ian Snell, Zach Duke, Tom Gorzelanny and Paul Maholm -- along with reliever Matt Capps, catcher Ronny Paulino, center fielder Chris Duffy and infielder-outfielder Jose Bautista.
Five contracts were settled late last week. Most, if not all, of the rest should be wrapped up by the end of the month. The renewal period for contracts runs March 2-11.
"We could just pay everyone the minimum, but we don't do that," said Larry Silverman, the Pirates' vice president and general counsel.
Instead, management uses a salary scale to determine how much (if anything) a zero-to-three player should make over the minimum salary.
The Pirates won't reveal the exact formula of their scale. But it includes amount of service time, past performance and the importance of a player's everyday role on the team.
"It's not like we give points for things," Silverman said. "It's not scientific. We try to be fair. It's set up to say, based on certain factors, this guy ought to make more than that guy."
This year, there are some interesting cases to consider.
Last season, Snell and Maholm made $327,000 apiece. Putting them at the minimum would be a hefty raise of $53,000, but that would put them on par with any rookie without a track record in the majors.
How much more of a raise should Snell get after leading the team with 14 victories⢠Does Maholm deserve a reward for going 11-11 in his first yearâ¢
And how will Snell and Maholm's paychecks compare to Duke's, who last season made $335,000 and won 10 games?
A zero-to-three guy's reward for outstanding stats often is not astronomical.
In 2005, the season after he was named Rookie of the Year, Jason Bay was renewed for $350,000 -- $34,000 above the minimum. But after the '05 season, Bay got with a four-year, $18.25 million contract.
"We do take (performance) into account, but we also consider how guys fit in the scale," general manager Dave Littlefield said. "We want to be consistent, not only within that service time category -- the two-plus (years), the one-pluses and the zero-pluses -- but also relative to years past.
"You have to consider who has set the bar at different levels, so you're consistent as you move forward from the Jason Bays to the Ian Snells to whoever else."
In theory, the increased minimum salary means the Pirates' payroll will jump by more than $1.2 million this year. However, all of the Pirates' zero-to-three players are on split contracts, which means they earn less if they play in the minor leagues.
For example, Brian Rogers, who has 35 days of big-league service time, will make $380,000 this year if he pitches for the Pirates or $60,000 in the minors.
Clubs are not required to offer split contracts, but most of them do. Split contracts became the Pirates' policy when Littlefield took over in 2001.
If a zero-to-three player is unhappy about his offer, he can choose not to sign the contract -- but it takes effect anyway, as the team automatically renews the player.
The Pirates used to slap a $10,000 penalty on players who refused to sign their contracts. However, that fine recently was lowered to $5,000.
"You want to encourage players not to have renewals," Silverman said. "There will be plenty of time later when the player has all the leverage in the world. But (with zero-to-threes), the teams have some leverage."
Additional Information:
Healthy minimum
When the current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2011 season, the minimum major-league salary will have more than doubled in less than a decade:2002 - $200,0002003 - $300,0002004 - $300,0002005 - $316,0002006 - $327,0002007 - $380,0002008 - $390,0002009 - $400,0002010 - $400,0002011 - $400,000, plus cost of living adjustment
