Khris Davis and the A’s went into arbitration today and Davis came out victorious. In 2017, he will make $5 million instead of the $4.65 million that the A’s suggested. Interestingly, it was the first arbitration case lost by the A’s since Billy Beane took over baseball operations in 1997.

Interestingly, it was the first arbitration case lost by the A’s since Billy Beane took over baseball operations in 1997.

It was Davis’ first year of being eligible for arbitration, and he definitely made the most of it. Davis, who is the Oakland A’s regular left fielder, hit .247 for a second straight year and hit a career-high 42 home runs with 102 RBI in his first season with the A’s. He earned just $524,500 in 2016 and will be eligible for free agency in 2019.

As I said earlier, Davis made $524,500 in 2016, so he was going to get a gargantuan raise in 2017 whether he won or lost this case.

If you do want my opinion, I believe that if you are hitting 42 home runs with 102 RBI in a pitcher friendly ballpark such as the Coliseum, the deserve $5 million per year minimum. I also included him in my Underrated Players by Position article a while back. 

On a related note to Davis’ victory over the A’s, the Boston Red Sox defeated pitcher Fernando Abad on Tuesday in the first arbitration case this year. The 31-year-old left-hander was given $2 million instead of his $2.7 million request. All hearings run through Feb. 17, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing who (if anyone) will make a case next and I am especially looking forward to seeing if they win or not!