MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins had six players file for arbitration on Tuesday, with the deadline to exchange salary figures coming Friday.
Left-hander Tommy Milone, relievers Kevin Jepsen and Casey Fien, and infielders Trevor Plouffe, Eduardo Nunez and Eduardo Escobar all filed for salary arbitration after being tendered contracts on Dec. 3.
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If recent history is any indication, the Twins are likely to agree to contracts with most or all of their arbitration-eligible players on or before Friday. Minnesota had six players eligible for arbitration last year, and the club agreed to terms with Milone, Fien, Plouffe and Nunez on the same day they exchanged contract figures. Escobar is arbitration-eligible for the first time this year, while Jepsen was acquired by the Twins in a trade with the Rays before the non-waiver Trade Deadline.
Clubs such as the Blue Jays, Braves, Brewers, Dodgers, Indians, Marlins, Pirates, Rays and White Sox employ a file-and-trial policy that treats Friday as a firm deadline before going to a hearing, but the Twins don't employ such a policy. For example, the Twins couldn't reach agreements with Brian Duensing and Jordan Schafer on the same day they exchanged figures last year, but the club signed both of them a week later to avoid an arbitration hearing.
The Twins have avoided hearings in recent years, as they haven't been to one since 2006 with Kyle Lohse. In the unlikely case the Twins can't work out a deal and have to go to an arbitration hearing, a three-person panel decides to either choose the team's proposed salary or the player's proposed salary for the upcoming season.