Seven young MLB stars, including top rookies Nick Kurtz and Elly De La Cruz, had contracts renewed at or near the minimum salary—the fewest such renewals since 2012—spotlighting a systematic effort by teams to delay arbitration and suppress earnings for a new generation of talent.
In a quiet annual ritual, seven Major League Baseball teams unilaterally set the 2026 salaries for young players on their 40-man rosters, a process that this year involved the fewest players since the league began tracking the figure in 2012. Among them are two of the game’s brightest young faces: unanimous American League Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz of the Athletics and electrifying Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Their renewed salaries—$785,000 and $800,000 respectively while in the majors—sit at or just above the league minimum, underscoring a persistent structural advantage for clubs that extends far beyond these individual deals.
This annual “renewal” period, running from March 2–11, allows teams to specify contracts for players with less than three years of service who are not yet arbitration-eligible. The fact that only seven players were affected this season, down from 11 in 2025 and a high of 16 in 2022, signals a broader shift. While part of the decline stems from teams being more aggressive in promoting talent to avoid renewals, it also reflects a league where service time manipulation remains a potent tool to delay a player’s climb to free agency and their first meaningful payday.
The Seven Players Renewed and Their 2026 Salaries
The list of renewed players, obtained by The Associated Press, reads like a who’s who of controllable young talent:
- Nick Kurtz, 1B/DH, Oakland Athletics: $785,000 (MLB) / $324,839 (Minors)
- Elly De La Cruz, SS, Cincinnati Reds: $800,000 (MLB) / $385,000 (Minors)
- J.T. Gunn, RHP, Oakland Athletics: $785,000 / $352,641
- Jonah Tong, RHP, New York Mets: $780,000 / $127,100
- Miguel Vargas, 3B, Chicago White Sox: $805,700 / $385,000
- Victor Vodnik, RHP, Colorado Rockies: $790,000 / $382,500
- Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals: $799,450 / $385,425
Notably, Kurtz and De La Cruz are the highest-profile names. Kurtz, who debuted last April, immediately impacted the A’s with a .290 average, 36 homers, and 86 RBIs on his way to a unanimous Rookie of the Year selection as reported by the Associated Press. De La Cruz, already a fan favorite for his blazing speed and power, set career bests in 2025 with a .264 average, 22 homers, 86 RBIs, and 37 stolen bases. Their compensation remains anchored to a scale set by the league’s minimum salary ($785,000 in 2026), a figure that has risen incrementally but still represents a fraction of their market value.
The Historical Decline: From 16 to 7 in Five Years
The downward trajectory in the number of renewed players is stark and tells a story of a league increasingly adept at skirting the arbitration system. The counts over the past five years are:
- 2026: 7 players
- 2025: 11 players
- 2024: 12 players
- 2023: 15 players
- 2022: 16 players
- 2021: 8 players
This fluctuation isn’t random. The significant drop from the 2022–2024 plateau to the current seven suggests teams are either promoting players to the majors before the renewal window to gain service time, or they are more aggressively negotiating one-year deals that avoid the unilateral renewal process altogether. For context, the 2022 figure of 16 renewals included high-profile pitchers like Shane Bieber and Alek Manoah, whose deals drew public scrutiny over fairness per the Associated Press. The current lower number may indicate a new equilibrium, but the players caught in the system are no less impacted.
Arbitration Eligibility: The Mechanics Behind the Madness
Understanding why these renewals matter requires a grasp of MLB’s service-time rules. Players become eligible for salary arbitration once they meet either of two thresholds:
- Three years of major league service, or
- Being in the top 22% of players with between two and less than three years of service (the “Super Two” category).
Players with six seasons of service become free agents. The renewal period applies only to those on the 40-man roster with less than three years of service who are not arbitration-eligible. By renewing a player at or near the minimum, a team locks in ultra-cheap labor for another season, effectively delaying their arbitration clock by a full year. This is the core of service time manipulation: keeping a player in the minors for a few extra days in a season to ensure they fall short of the service-time cutoff, thus buying an additional year of control at a minimal salary.
Why the Seven Renewals Matter: A System Stacked Against Youth
The narrative here extends beyond seven salaries. It’s about a business model that systematically undervalues young talent during their peak pre-arbitration years. Consider Kurtz: after a Rookie of the Year season, his reward is a $785,000 salary—roughly 1/20th of what a comparable free agent might earn. The Athletics, famously frugal, are not alone. Even big-market clubs like the Mets (Tong) and Cardinals (Winn) participate, demonstrating that this is a universal tactic, not just a small-market phenomenon.
This suppression has two major consequences. First, it distorts competitive balance. Teams with deeper farm systems can stockpile years of cheap control, allowing them to allocate more payroll to established stars. Second, it fuels player frustration and labor unrest. The current collective bargaining agreement attempted to curb service time manipulation with draft pick penalties for egregious offenders, but the renewal process remains a loophole. Players like Kurtz and De La Cruz, who generate immense on-field value and fan excitement, are trapped in a system where their first significant payday is postponed, often until their late 20s.
Critically, these players also earn from the Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool, a revenue-sharing fund created in 2022 to supplement the lowest salaries. Kurtz received $1,297,017 from this pool in 2025, while De La Cruz earned $631,080 according to Associated Press reporting. While significant, these bonuses are one-time and do not alter the long-term salary trajectory. They are a band-aid, not a cure, for the underlying issue of suppressed earnings.
Fan Theories: What’s Next for Kurtz and De La Cruz?
For fan communities, these renewals spark endless “what-if” scenarios. With Kurtz, the question is whether the A’s will actually keep him long-term or trade him before he reaches arbitration, mirroring their historic pattern. De La Cruz, under team control through 2028, is the centerpiece of the Reds’ rebuild. His speed and highlight-reel plays make him a marketing asset; fans will watch closely to see if Cincinnati locks him up with a lucrative extension this offseason or pushes his first arbitration hearing to 2027. The renewal itself is a formality, but it resets the clock on his leverage.
Across baseball, agents and players are taking note. The fewer players renewed, the more teams are likely using alternatives like early extensions or creative minor league deals. But for the seven named, this spring’s paperwork is a stark reminder: their value to their clubs is currently measured in hundreds of thousands, not millions, and that gap is by design.
The Bottom Line: A League at a Crossroads
The 2026 renewal class is small numerically but large symbolically. It includes a Rookie of the Year, a budding superstar, and five other promising arms and bats, all compensated at the floor. As the league’s revenues continue to soar, the disconnect between the profits and the pay for its youngest stars widens. This isn’t just about Nick Kurtz or Elly De La Cruz; it’s about every top prospect who must wait years to tap into their financial worth. The trend toward fewer renewals may seem positive, but it often means teams are finding other, less transparent ways to maintain control. The real issue isn’t the number seven—it’s the system that makes seven such a familiar, frustrating figure.
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