Indians and Francisco Lindor avoid arbitration, fail to reach deal with Trevor Bauer

The Cleveland Indians and shortstop Francisco Lindor avoided arbitration with a $10.55 million deal this afternoon, but failed to reach an agreement for the second straight season with Trevor Bauer.

Lindor’s one-year deal comes close to the record for a first-year arbitration-eligible player set by Kris Bryant and the Cubs for $10.85 million last season. The deal means that the team and player won’t need to submit separate numbers to the league. The Indians typically avoid arbitration with all of their players; since 1991 the only players to go to arbitration without an extension were Josh Tomlin and Vinnie Pestano in 2014, and Bauer last season.

How did Bauer fare in the arbitration process last year? First, he submitted his number at $6.9 million. The league asked him to be more reasonable, so he re-submitted at $6,420,969.69 before finally adjusting to $6,525,000. Bauer ultimately won the case, as the Indians proposed $5.3 million.

MLB Trade Rumors listed Lindor’s arbitration estimates for 2019 at $10.2 million, and Bauer’s at $11.6 million.