The St. Louis Cardinals experienced a mixed bag of outcomes in their initial two salary arbitration cases, which came as a surprise. They emerged victorious in the case against Brendan Donovan on Wednesday but faced defeat against Lars Nootbaar. These results put the teams ahead with a score of 4-3, with two more decisions pending.
In the arbitration hearing, Donovan’s salary was settled at $2.85 million, deviating from his initial request of $3.3 million. The panel consisting of arbitrators Jeanne Vonhof, Joshua Gordon, and Stephen Raymond heard arguments related to the outfielder/infielder’s case on Tuesday. On the other hand, Nootbar’s request for $2.95 million was upheld by arbitrators Janice Johnston, Allen Ponak, and John Stout, as opposed to the team’s offer of $2.45 million. The decision in Nootbar’s case had been held back and was announced concurrently with the outcome for Donovan.
The third case involving the Cardinals featured right-hander Andre Pallante, who requested $2.1 million compared to the team’s offer of $1,925,000. The arbitration hearing for Pallante took place on Wednesday before arbitrators Walt De Treux, Paul Radvany, and Brian Keller, with a decision expected to be reached on Thursday. All three players from the Cardinals were going through the arbitration process for the first time.
In another arbitration hearing, Washington Nationals’ first baseman Nathaniel Lowe is set for the final hearing this week.
Brendan Donovan, who recently turned 28, showcased an impressive performance last year, boasting a batting average of .278 while achieving career highs with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs. Over his three seasons in the big leagues, all with the Cardinals, he maintains a batting average of .280 with 30 home runs and 152 RBIs. Donovan had a salary of $757,200 in the previous year.
Lars Nootbaar, aged 27, recorded a batting average of .244 with 12 home runs and 45 RBIs last season. He made his season debut on April 12 following recovery from a bruised left rib, and later faced a sidelined period from May 29 to July 8 due to an oblique strain. He earned $761,000 during the season.
Andre Pallante, a 26-year-old right-hander, concluded last year with an 8-8 record and a 3.78 ERA in 20 starts and nine relief appearances. He had a salary of $756,900 in the previous season and accumulated a total record of 18-14 with a 3.78 ERA across his three seasons in the big leagues.
Not only did the Cardinals come out successful in some cases, but other teams also secured wins in arbitration. New York Yankees’ reliever Mark Leiter Jr
