Saturday, January 23, 1999
Hearings scheduled for Tucker, Hudek
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Reds have less than a month to avoid going to salary arbitration for the first time in five years.
The Players Association scheduled hearing dates Friday for outfielder Michael Tucker (Feb. 10) and right-hander John Hudek (Feb. 18), who would become the first Reds to have their salaries determined through arbitration since catcher Joe Oliver won $2.5 million from the team in 1994.
Though teams and players usually reach an agreement by splitting the difference between the salary figures they filed, Reds General Manager Jim Bowden reaffirmed his intention to stick to the club's offers this year. Cincinnati offered $1.4 million to Tucker, who earned $370,000 last season and requested $1.95 million. Hudek countered the Reds' $800,000 offer with a $1.3 million figure after earning $499,000 a year ago.
“Since I've been general manager, I've always wanted amicable signings,” Bowden said. “I've always attempted to avoid arbitration. But we're at the point with these two players where both sides feel strongly where they're coming from. We like both players very much. It's just the business part of the game that has to be done.”
Each side in arbitration bases its arguments largely on comparisons with players of similar accomplishments and service time. For example, Hudek's agent, Phil Tannenbaum, said that pitchers comparable to his client include San Diego's Dan Miceli, who received a three-year, $4.6 million contract, and Colorado's Curtis Leskanic, who got a two-year, $2.6 million deal.
But Tannenbaum said that he and the Reds “really aren't far apart” compared with players such as Toronto first baseman Carlos Delgado, who filed for $6.5 million while receiving a $4.2 million offer.
“We've had discussions since early August,” Tannenbaum said. “We anticipate that based on the discussions being harmonious, we'll continue to talk in an effort to get this settled.”
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