TAMPA, Fla. -- The Kansas City Royals beat left-hander
Jeremy Affeldt in salary arbitration on Saturday, leaving owners
and players tied 1-1.
Affeldt, eligible for the first time, will receive a raise from
$350,000 to $950,000 instead of his $1.2 million request,
arbitrators Christine Knowlton, Elliott Shriftman and Steven Wolf
decided. They heard the case Friday.
Affeldt went 3-4 with a 4.95 ERA and 13 saves in eight starts
and 30 relief appearances last season.
In the first case, right-hander Kyle Lohse defeated the
Minnesota Twins on Friday and will get a raise from $395,000 to
$2.4 million rather than the team's offer of $2.15 million.
Baltimore reliever Jorge Julio, who had been scheduled for a
hearing, agreed Saturday to a $2.5 million, one-year contract.
Julio had 22 saves in 26 chances last season, but lost his job as
closer during a rough stretch in September. He finished 2-5 with a
4.57 ERA in 65 games.
Julio, who made $385,000 last year, had filed for $2.9 million
and Baltimore had proposed $2.35 million.
Six players remain scheduled for hearings next week, including
Twins pitcher Johan Santana, the AL Cy Young Award winner, and
Milwaukee pitcher Ben Sheets.