It was a profitable Saturday for Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty.
Despite a relatively down 2020 (he logged a pedestrian 4.91 ERA in nine starts), Flaherty felt he deserved a raise, seeking a $3.9-million base salary. That’s significantly more than he made in his first four seasons ($1.3 million), though a fair ask considering his superb track record, including a fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting during his breakout 2019.
Rather than taking the lower salary offered by the Cardinals, Flaherty took his chances by letting an independent arbiter decide his fate. That gamble paid off handsomely for Flaherty, who was awarded his full $3.9 million on Saturday. Feeling frisky in the wake of his newfound wealth, the 25-year-old took to social media:
The Cardinals are trying to limit their spending following a slew of recent acquisitions—the trio of Nolan Arenado, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina are due a combined $52 million this upcoming season.
Braves All-Star Mike Soroka also won his arbitration case Saturday (he’ll earn $2.8 million this year, $700,000 more than Atlanta offered him), though we’re still waiting on his victory lap.
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