This evenings deadline to exchange filing figures has come and gone. The majority of arbitration-eligible players to avoid going to a hearing. There were 17 instances where the player and team did not come to terms. Technically, nothing prevents players and teams from continuing to negotiate. However, virtually every team takes a file-and-trial approach to the proce s. Clubs will mostly refuse to continue talks about one-year deals after this date. Theyll often make exceptions for discu sions involving multi-year contracts or one-year deals with a club/mutual option. Its unlikely that all of these players will end up getting to a Greg Adams Jersey hearing, but the majority probably will. If the sides go to a hearing, a three-person arbitration panel will either choose the players or the teams filing figure. They cannot pick a midpoint. Thats designed to prevent the parties from anchoring by filing at extremely high or low figures. Teams preferences for the file-and-trial approach follows a similar logic. The idea is to deter players from submitting a higher number from which they could continue to negotiate until the hearing begins. The list of players who could go to a hearing this winter (service time in parentheses): Angels (5.043): Filed at $5.95MM, team filed at $5.8MM ( ) (4.046): Filed at $1.14MM, team filed at $975K ( ) (3.027): Filed at $2MM, team filed at $1.5MM ( ) Brewers (3.112): Filed at $6.5MM, team filed at $5.6MM ( ) Cardinals (3.076): Filed at $2.95MM, team filed at $2.45MM ( ) (3.000): Filed at $3.3MM, team filed at $2.85MM ( ) (2.145): Filed at $2.1MM, team filed at $1.925MM ( ) Cubs (5.079): Filed at $17.5MM, team filed at $15MM ( ) Dodgers (4.078): Filed at $2.35MM, team filed at $2.05MM ( ) Nationals (4.145): Filed at $11.1MM, team filed at $10.3MM ( ) Orioles (5.000): Filed at $4MM, team filed at $3.1MM ( ) Padres (5.004): Filed at $8.8MM, team filed at $7.325MM ( ) Pirates (4.126): Filed at $2.1MM, team filed at $1.4MM ( ) (3.079): Filed at $1.15MM, team filed at $850K ( ) Rays (3.092): Filed at $1.575MM, team filed at $1.3MM ( ) Red Sox (2.155): Filed at $4MM, team filed at $3.5MM ( ) Yankees (4.031): Filed at $2.5MM, team filed at $2.05MM ( ) Tucker and the Cubs have the biggest gap in filing figures at $2.5MM. Hes one of the top two free agents in next years cla s and is unlikely to sign an extension, so theyre almost certainly headed to a hearing. King, who will be one of the best pitchers on the open market next winter, is the only other player with more than $1MM at stake depending on the results of the hearing. The smallest divide is the paltry $150K gap between Rengifos and the Angels respective filing figures. Hearings are scheduled to begin on January 27 and could run through February 14. Guillaume Brisebois Jersey