An exchange of numbers

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

Though the Cardinals struck one-year deals with relievers Edward Mujica and Mitchell Boggs earlier on Friday, the club did not reach agreements with its other three arbitration-eligible players: David Freese, Jason Motte and Marc Rzepczynski.

As a result, those three have exchanged desired salary numbers with the Cardinals. Those numbers represent the two figures that an arbiter would chose from should an agreement not be reached before an arbitration hearing is scheduled. Here is a look at the figures:

• Jason Motte filed for a 2013 salary of $5.5 million; the Cardinals filed at $4.5 million
• David Freese filed for a 2013 salary of $3.75 million; the Cardinals filed at $2.4 million
• Marc Rzepczynski filed for a 2013 salary of $1.3 million; the Cardinals filed at $900,000

The Cardinals and each of these three players can continue to negotiate, and knowing the expectations of the other side often speeds up this process. But if no agreement is reached independently, arbitration hearings begin on Feb. 4.

Remember, too, that while the difference between a player’s ask and a team’s offer may seem fairly inconsequential (in the world of baseball contracts, that is), the 2013 salary of each of these players will affect future salary numbers. Motte is to be arbitration eligible again next year. Freese has two more seasons of eligibility.

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