PHOENIX (AP) Catcher J.T. Realmuto lost his salary arbitration case against Miami and first baseman Justin Bour beat the Marlins to leave players with a 3-1 record this year.
Realmuto was given a $2.9 million salary Friday instead of his request for $3.5 million. The decision was made by arbitrators Andrew Strongin, Elizabeth Neumeier and Allen Ponak, who heard arguments Wednesday.
Bour was awarded $3.4 million instead of Miami’s $3 million offer by James Oldham, Steven Wolf and Mark Burstein, who listened to arguments Thursday.
Realmuto may be traded as part of the team’s payroll purge under new chief executive Derek Jeter. The Marlins already have dealt major league home run champion Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Dee Gordon and Christian Yelich. Realmuto made $562,500 last year and was eligible for arbitration for the first time after hitting .278 with 17 homers and 65 RBIs.
Bour hit .289 with 25 homers and 83 RBIs last year, when he had a $552,500 salary.
Boston All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts and Arizona pitcher Shelby Miller won the first two cases of the year.
Houston closer Ken Giles had a hearing Thursday, and his decision is not expected until Saturday.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
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