SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Kris Bubic won his salary arbitration case against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday and fellow left-hander Eric Lauer lost his hearing to the Toronto Blue Jays, leaving players ahead 8-3 with two cases remaining.
Instead of getting the Royals’ offer of $5.15 million, Bubic was awarded $6.15 million by Margaret Brogan, Brian Keller and Janice Johnston, who heard arguments Tuesday.
Lauer will earn $4.4 million instead of his $5.75 million request. His hearing was held on Feb. 3 before Scott Buchheit, Howard Edelman and John Woods, and the decision was kept sealed until Bubic’s case was decided.
Houston’s Triple-A Sugar Land team, then signed that August with South Korea’s Kia Tigers.
Lauer, 30, is 45-39 with a 4.13 ERA over seven seasons with San Diego (2018-19), Milwaukee (2020-23) and Toronto. He is on track to be eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series.
Milwaukee catcher Willson Contreras ($9.9 million vs. $8.55 million) and Miami right-hander Calvin Faucher ($2.05 million vs. $1.8 million) remain scheduled for hearings this week.
