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.
St. Louis predictably low-balled the right-hander, countering at an even $3 million. Rather than meet somewhere in the middle, 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, dunking on the Cardinals in a series of tweets.
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. But trying to squeeze a player of Flaherty’s elite caliber (career 3.37 ERA) still isn’t a great look for the Birds, even if their scheme ultimately failed.
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.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram