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3 more players win cases

Bauer, Cole, Wood triumph in arbitration

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole and Alex Wood won their salary arbitration cases Wednesday, giving players a 6-3 advantage over teams to ensure a winning record in consecutive years for the first time since 1989-90.

Bauer won his hearing for the second straight year and was awarded $13 million by James Darby, James Oldham and Sylvia Skratek instead of the Cleveland Indians’ $11 million offer.

Cole was given a $13.5 million salary by Gil Vernon, Steven Wolf and Walt De Treux rather than the Houston Astros’ offer of $11,425,000.

Wood will get $9.65 million instead of the Cincinnati Reds’ $8.7 million offer, Dan Brent, Andrew Strongin and Phillip LaPorte decided.

Bauer and Cole topped the previous high for a salary awarded in an arbitration hearing, $10.5 million won last year by Boston outfielder Mookie Betts.

Bauer, a 28-year-old right-hander, was a first-time All-Star last year and finished sixth in AL Cy Young Award voting after going 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA, second behind Tampa Bay’s Nate Snell. Bauer’s right leg was broken Aug. 11 when hit by a line drive, and he did not return to the mound for the Indians until Sept. 21.

Bauer won a $6,525,000 salary last year in a case decided by Strongin, Wolf and Robert Herzog, who ruled against Cleveland’s $5.3 million offer.

Minnesota’s Kyle Lohse (2005, `06), Houston’s Collin McHugh (2017, `18) and Tampa Bay’s Jake Odorizzi (2017, `18) also won in consecutive years.

Cole, also a 28-year-right-hander, received his second All-Star selection last year and went 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA.

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