Anibal Sanchez has been awarded the largest pitcher arbitration decision this weekend when he and the Miami Marlins met. Sanchez went into arbitration seeking $8 million while the Marlins were seeking $6.9 million.
Michael Jong of Marlins blog Fish Stripes explains the situation a bit:
Sanchez will earn about $2 million more than was expected of him by MLB Trade Rumors' projected arbitration salaries, but the Marlins anticipated this and actually offered around $7 million for the righty starter. Either way, this ensures that Sanchez will be a Marlin through 2012 and that he will also test the free agent waters following this year. If you will recall, I have previously advocated signing Sanchez to an extension to ensure that he is on the team for the next four seasons after 2012. With the Marlins unlikely to get a deal done with free agency imminent, it is very likely the team will let him sign on with a bigger fish.
For more on the Miami Marlins, visit SB Nation's Marlins blog Fish Stripes.