America's League

Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

Alumni Transactions

Wieters, Miller among 24 MLB players from Cape League filing for arbitration

      Twenty-four former Cape Cod Baseball League players, including two CCBL Hall of Famers, are among the 146 players who filed for arbitration on Tuesday under the system agreed to by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. The filings initiate a process that continues Friday when players and teams exchange salary proposals for one-year contracts.

      Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters (Orleans, 2006), a member of the 2013 Cape League Hall of Fame class, is one of six Orioles seeking salary arbitration. Right-hander Andrew Miller (Chatham, 2004/05), a 2012 inductee, is among five to do so from the 2013 World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

      This year’s list includes both 2013 Cy Young Award winners – Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers -- plus such other notables as Tampa Bay left-hander David Price, Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman, Baltimore slugger Chris Davis and Cincinnati pitching mainstays Aroldis Chapman and Homer Bailey.

      Thirteen American League players and 11 from the National League comprise the Cape League group.

      Not on that list is Cape native Steve Cishek of East Falmouth, one of the National League’s most reliable closers. Right-hander Cichek, 27, never played in the Cape League, but he starred at Falmouth High School and for Sandwich Post 188. Over the past two seasons, he has saved 49 games for the Miami Marlins and is likely to command a big raise from the $505,000 he earned in 2013.

      After Friday’s exchange of proposed salary figures, both sides may continue negotiating until an arbitration hearing is scheduled sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 21. Most cases never make it to that point, but when they do, each side presents its proposal to a three-judge panel, which has 24 hours to decide one way or the other and is not required to explain its decision.

      Here’s the complete list of ex-Cape Leaguers filing for arbitration:

AMERICAN LEAGUE -- Houston Astros: catcher Jason Castro, Y-D, 2007; Toronto Blue Jays: left-handed pitcher Brett Cecil, Orleans, 2006; Cleveland Indians: right-hander Justin Masterson, Wareham, 2005; Seattle Mariners: first baseman Justin Smoak, Cotuit, 2006; Baltimore Orioles: catcher Matt Wieters, Orleans, 2005 (CCBL Hall of Fame class of 2013); Texas Rangers: first baseman Mitch Moreland, Bourne, 2006/07; Boston Red Sox: right-hander Andrew Miller, Chatham, 2004/05 (CCBL Hall of Fame class of 2012); Kansas City Royals: right-hander Aaron Crow, Falmouth, 2007; right-hander Luke Hochevar, Cotuit, 2003, and outfielder Justin Maxwell, Bourne, 2003/Cotuit, 2004; Detroit Tigers: catcher Alex Avila, Harwich, 2007; Chicago White Sox: second baseman Gordon Beckham, Y-D, 2007; New York Yankees: right-hander David Robertson, Y-D, 2006.
NATIONAL LEAGUE – Atlanta Braves: third baseman Chris Johnson, Hyannis, 2005; St. Louis Cardinals: outfielder Jon Jay, Brewster, 2005; Arizona Diamondbacks: right-hander Josh Collmenter, Hyannis, 2006, and left-hander Joe Thatcher, Bourne, 2003; San Francisco Giants: first baseman Brandon Belt, Harwich, 2008; New York Mets: first baseman Ike Davis, Wareham, 2007, and right-hander Bobby Parnell, Chatham, 2004; Washington Nationals: left-hander Ross Detwiler, Falmouth, 2006, and right-hander Drew Storen, Cotuit, 2008; San Diego Padres: third baseman Chase Headley, Cotuit, 2004; Philadelphia Phillies: outfielder-first baseman John Mayberry Jr., Yarmouth-Dennis, 2003; Pittsburgh Pirates: first baseman Gaby Sanchez, Brewster, 2004.