The Cubs' first arbitration hearing of the Theo Epstein era went the team's way on Thursday, when a panel of judges reportedly ruled against reliever Justin Grimm in setting his salary for 2018.
Grimm will earn $2.2 million instead of the $2.475 million he'd sought, as first reported by MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. The 29-year-old right-hander has pitched 263 times over the past four-and-a-half seasons with the Cubs, and had a 5.53 ERA in 50 games in 2017.
He was the Cubs' only arbitration-eligible player who did not come to terms ahead of a Jan. 12 deadline for clubs and players to exchange salary proposals. When he reached a hearing room Wednesday, it marked the first such procedure since Epstein took over the Cubs' baseball operation in 2011.