PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates’ front office could be busy the rest of the week, but not necessarily with increased free-agent or trade activity.

The deadline for Major League clubs to exchange salary figures with their arbitration-eligible players is Friday at 1 p.m. ET, so the Pirates will be negotiating with the agents of their eight remaining players who are eligible for salary arbitration in 2020.

That list is headlined by All-Star first baseman Josh Bell, a client of agent Scott Boras, but Bell is not the only notable Pittsburgh player entering the arbitration process for the first time. Also new to “arb-eligible” status this year are second baseman Adam Frazier and starters Joe Musgrove, Trevor Williams, Chad Kuhl and Jameson Taillon.

Rounding out the list are relievers Keone Kela and Michael Feliz, both of whom avoided arbitration with the Pirates last offseason. Infielder Erik González would have been eligible, but he agreed to a $725,000 contract for the 2020 season prior to the non-tender deadline on Dec. 2. That day, the Pirates cut ties with arbitration-eligible catcher Elias Díaz, who recently signed a Minor League deal with the Rockies.

The hours leading up to Friday’s deadline should bring a flurry of contract agreements around the league. If the Pirates can’t agree to contract terms with an arbitration-eligible player, they likely will go to a hearing during Spring Training. Pittsburgh won its last arbitration hearing, which came against former closer Tony Watson in 2017.

To preview Friday’s deadline, here’s a look at each of the Pirates’ eight arbitration-eligible players.

JOSH BELL

The 27-year-old first baseman picked a good time to have the best offensive season of his young career. He’s bound to receive a big raise after hitting .277/.367/.569 with 37 homers, 37 doubles and 116 RBIs in 143 games last year. Two projections estimate Bell will become one of Pittsburgh’s highest-paid players, as Cot’s Baseball Contracts figures Bell will earn $5 million this season, while MLB Trade Rumors’ model suggests Bell could earn $5.9 million.

ADAM FRAZIER

Frazier, 28, has put together consecutive 2.7-WAR seasons in different ways. In 2018, he rode a strong second half to a 118 OPS+ but played in only 113 games. Last year, he led the Pirates in games played (152) and recorded a roughly league-average 99 OPS+ while finishing as a worthy Gold Glove Award finalist at second base. MLB Trade Rumors projects Frazier will earn $3.2 million this season, while Cot’s estimates a slightly lower salary of $2.75 million. Then, of course, comes the question of whether the Pirates will trade the in-demand infielder before Opening Day.

JOE MUSGROVE

The 27-year-old right-hander proved his durability last season, pitching 170 1/3 innings while making 31 starts. His peripheral numbers suggest better days ahead, as he struck out four times as many batters as he walked last year, despite his 4.44 ERA (and 96 ERA+) being slightly below the league-average mark. The emerging clubhouse leader still figures to be a bargain for the Pirates with a projected salary of $3.4 million, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

TREVOR WILLIAMS

You might look at Williams differently now than you did a year ago, when he was coming off a 14-10 season, a 3.11 ERA and an unfathomably stingy second half. In a season interrupted by an oblique injury, the 27-year-old right-hander finished with a 5.38 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP in 145 2/3 innings over 26 starts in 2019. Better health might lead to more consistent success for Williams, who had a 3.33 ERA in nine starts before his injury. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Williams is projected to earn a raise from roughly the league minimum to $3 million next season.

CHAD KUHL

Kuhl spent all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, so he hasn’t pitched in the Majors since the beginning of his age-25 season in 2018. Nonetheless, he has accrued enough service time to enter the arbitration process as he gets back on a big league mound this spring. Whether the 27-year-old right-hander does so as a starter or reliever remains to be seen -- all of his experience in the Majors is as a starter -- but he is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn $1.4 million in his return.

JAMESON TAILLON

There’s never a good time for a pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery, but the 28-year-old Taillon’s second reconstructive elbow surgery came at a particularly painful time from a financial perspective. Pittsburgh’s Opening Day starter won’t pitch in the Majors this year, but he will receive a pay raise (to $2.3 million, as projected by MLB Trade Rumors) for his service and performance prior to his most recent surgery. Taillon’s inactivity will prevent him from significantly boosting his salary heading into the 2021 season, too.

MICHAEL FELIZ

Arbitration-eligible for the first time last year, Feliz agreed to a split contract before the non-tender deadline and didn’t crack the Opening Day roster. That deal paid him $850,000 in the Majors and $375,000 in the Minors. Feliz, 26, is coming off a much better season this year. The right-hander posted a 3.99 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 73 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings. While walks and homers were still occasionally an issue, he worked his way into a higher-leverage role by the end of the season. Feliz is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn $1.2 million this season.

KEONE KELA

This will be an important season for Kela. The 26-year-old right-hander is expected to begin the year as the Pirates’ closer, and he’ll become a free agent at the end of the season. He is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn $3.4 million in his final trip through the arbitration process after making $3.175 million during his injury-interrupted 2019 campaign. If he stays healthy, Kela could multiply his salary in free agency based on his production the past four years. Since 2017, Kela has posted a 2.84 ERA, 3.20 FIP and 1.01 WHIP with 150 strikeouts in 120 1/3 innings over 125 appearances.