Alexi Ogando has been one of the most valuable members of the Texas Rangers' pitching staff over the past three seasons — whether as an all-star starter or a shutdown, versatile reliever.
Now the Rangers will have a chance to get one more season of Ogando on the cheap before his salary goes through the roof, or have a chance to lock him up for a reasonable, yet fair amount.
Being eligible for "super two" salary arbitration, according to the Associated Press, means you've been in major league service for two years and 139 days — random, I know.
Of course, arbitration means you basically go to court — for lack of a better term — with your team and your team tries to pick you apart while you try to pump your value up, and a "judge" decides what your salary will be. It's a sticky situation that most teams, and players, would like to avoid.
Ogando has two years and 114 days of service, thanks to the research of The Dallas Morning News' Gerry Fraley, which means he fell just shy of the mark that would make him eligible for arbitration. That means the Rangers get Ogando for one more season at his incredibly solid value of just shy of $500,000. Now the Rangers have another year to tinker with his deal and either give him a new one or go to arbitration following next season. He's not a free agent until 2017.
The same rule applied to Craig Gentry ($484,000) and Mitch Moreland ($491,000), who both came in over two years of service, but short of the 139 days.
