Yankees sign Frankie Cervelli to one-year deal, avoid arbitration

The Yankees have signed Frankie Cervelli to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration, the team announced. Jon Heyman says he gets $700k, a bit below the $1M projection from Matt Swartz. The 27-year-old managed a 143 wRC+ in 61 plate appearances last year before suffering a broken hand and a stress reaction in his elbow. Cervelli was also suspended 50 games for his ties to Biogenesis.

The Yankees still have four unsigned arbitration-eligible players (projected salaries in parentheses): David Robertson ($5.5M), Brett Gardner ($4M), Ivan Nova ($2.8M), and Shawn Kelley ($1.5M). The players’ union expects Gardner’s salary to be “considerably higher” than projected. Tomorrow is the deadline for teams and eligible players to file salary figures. All four might sign before then.