Arbitration in favor of Braves against Jackson

NEW YORK — Luke Jackson, sidelined for the season by Tommy John surgery, lost his salary arbitration hearing with the Atlanta Braves on Thursday.

Jackson was awarded the team’s $3.6 million offer rather than his $4 million request by Richard Bloch, Scott Buchheit and Robert Herzog, who heard the case a day earlier.

A 30-year-old right-hander who earned $1.9 million last year, Jackson had surgery on April 13 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm’s elbow.

No statistics or evidence from after March 1 are admissible other than contract and salary comparisons in arbitration hearings this year, timing set when Major League Baseball and the players’ association agreed to the deal that ended the owners’ lockout. Arbitration hearings usually are held during the first three weeks of February, but they were delayed by the work stoppage.

Jackson posted 18 saves in 2019 and had served as a top setup man the past two years for Atlanta’s bullpen. He was 2-2 with a career-best 1.98 ERA in 71 games in 2021, helping the Braves win their first World Series title since 1995. He did not surrender an earned run in three World Series appearances against the Houston Astros, allowing one hit in 3 2/3 innings.

Teams have a 3-2 lead in arbitration decisions so far this year. In addition to Thursday’s outcome, Seattle Mariners second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier ($8 million) and Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi ($8.5 million) won, while Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley ($3.95 million) and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill ($3.4 million) lost. A decision remains pending for Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Adrian Houser.

Hearings are scheduled through June 24. Players scheduled for hearings include three more Atlanta players — outfielder Adam Duvall, pitcher Max Fried and shortstop Dansby Swanson — along with New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Minnesota Twins catcher Gary Sánchez.

Atlanta was off Thursday before beginning a three-game series at Miami.