The salary negotiation season is under way, and the first of the many Diamondbacks eligible for arbitration was crossed off the board tonight. Relief pitcher Randall Delgado has agreed to terms with the Diamondbacks, according to the team’s announcement on Twitter this evening. To this point, terms of the agreement have not been announced, but MLB Trade Rumors had expected Delgado to settle at $2.5 million in his final season of arbitration. He’ll become a free-agent at the end of the upcoming campaign.
Delgado had a somewhat abbreviated season, with his 62.2 innings the lowest number he has pitched since his rookie campaign of 2011. Randall had a 3.59 ERA and a K:BB of 60:14. He went on the DL in mid-July with inflammation in his right elbow, and that was the end of his season. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection in the elbow in September, and there was good news in November, when an MRI showed improvement. GM Mike Hazen said he was “pretty optimistic” at that point. Delgado has not yet started a throwing program, but that’s not out of line with his normal schedule.
Having come over from Atlanta in the Justin Upton trade that winter, he’s one of the few current Diamondbacks to have played for the club in five different seasons. Only Paul Goldschmidt (7) and A.J. Pollock (6) have more than Delgado - Patrick Corbin also has five (not including the year he missed entirely due to TJ surgery). Randall is currently fifth on the all-time list for games played by Diamondbacks pitchers, with 236. With a healthy 2018, he could end the year at #2, needing 39 to overtake David Hernandez for that spot.
What is that now with regards to arbitration? One down, 11 to go? Something like that. You can likely expect a good few more of these pieces, over the coming weeks...
[Update] The team and player settled at $2.25 million, a little below the estimate.
randall delgado, d-backs settle at $2.25M, avoiding arbitration
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 9, 2018