Pablo Torre Finds Out
The Room: Behind Closed Doors of the Messiest Ritual in Sports
Thu, 06 Feb 2025
Luka Dončić is just the latest athlete to be deemed too expensive by their employer. But Major League Baseball has a special solution to this problem that is at once top-secret, excruciating and embarrassing. Because when a player and his team disagree on the new salary he deserves, baseball puts them before a tribunal of judges... and lets them argue over how much that player sucks... in front of that player. All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla and journeyman outfielder Cody Ross re-confront David Samson, the former Florida Marlins president who stood between them and their millions. And they have a lesson for every athlete who dares to enter The Room. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is salary arbitration in Major League Baseball?
Chapter 2: How does the salary arbitration process affect players?
He went for the money. Cody, you went for love and fame and World Series and LCS MVPs. You're welcome, by the way. Thank you. Thank you. The nicest gift I ever gave you. That's the truth. Getting rid of your ass.
You know, you really embody this team, what it's all about. I mean, Florida didn't want you. They put you on waivers. This team put a claim in on you. And here you are, the NLCS MVP.
I can't thank the Giants enough for giving me the opportunity to come over here.
One dollar. One dollar. It was a dollar. It was a waiver claim. And the Giants called us after they claimed him and said, you're not going to let him go to us, right? We were just blocking him from going to any of our competitors. And we were like, we're not paying Cody the rest of the year. We're letting him go.
Chapter 3: What happens in the arbitration room?
Chapter 4: What are the emotional stakes for players during arbitration?
I can't thank the Giants enough for giving me the opportunity to come over here.
One dollar. One dollar. It was a dollar. It was a waiver claim. And the Giants called us after they claimed him and said, you're not going to let him go to us, right? We were just blocking him from going to any of our competitors. And we were like, we're not paying Cody the rest of the year. We're letting him go.
Larry Bear called the commissioner to try to interject because they didn't want to take on his money. And we were like, sorry, if you're going to play the game of trying to block your competitors from getting a player, you have to risk taking the player. And we called Cody into the office and said, Cody, love you, man, but you've been claimed by the Giants.
Go speak to the traveling secretary because you're getting on a plane. It's your ass out. We had cleaned out his locker. We had done everything.
I want to explain one of the craziest rituals, processes in sports to people that have no idea what it is. And in the course of doing that, we will learn about your relationship. But I do want to just like establish some basics.
So at the beginning here, because there are now three voices that are not mine on this episode, could you say your name, when you played for the Marlins, and maybe an adjective that best describes your former boss, David Sampson?
My name is Dan Ugla. I tell everybody that comes in here, this is the house that David and Jeffrey Laurie built. They're like, David who? I was like, David Sampson. They're like, oh, I know who that is, yeah. Outspoken is actually a very good adjective, but for lack of a better vocabulary, that's kind of what I'm going with right now.
Woody Ross played for the Marlins from 2006 to 2010. First of all, Dan, you're making me dizzy, bro. You're like moving around. I know. I mean, I'm like, I had too much wine last night, maybe. I don't know. But you're going to like stay still for a second.
You're so fidgety. Let me get a... I was going to say, do you have an office?
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Chapter 5: How do teams prepare for arbitration hearings?
Chapter 6: What unique challenges do players face in arbitration?
Chapter 7: How does the arbitration system differ from other sports?
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Look at his background. I like Cody's background better than Ugg's. You don't like the wood shades? You don't like the wood shades? That's the best you got for $60 million? You got wood shades?
Hey, we're budgeting over here. Budgeting. Budgeting. Can you get in front of your World Series jersey? That's right, dog. That's in a safety deposit box. Safety deposit box.
He went for the money. Cody, you went for love and fame and World Series and LCS MVPs. You're welcome, by the way. Thank you. Thank you. The nicest gift I ever gave you. That's the truth. Getting rid of your ass.
You know, you really embody this team, what it's all about. I mean, Florida didn't want you. They put you on waivers. This team put a claim in on you. And here you are, the NLCS MVP.
I can't thank the Giants enough for giving me the opportunity to come over here.
One dollar. One dollar. It was a dollar. It was a waiver claim. And the Giants called us after they claimed him and said, you're not going to let him go to us, right? We were just blocking him from going to any of our competitors. And we were like, we're not paying Cody the rest of the year. We're letting him go.
Larry Bear called the commissioner to try to interject because they didn't want to take on his money. And we were like, sorry, if you're going to play the game of trying to block your competitors from getting a player, you have to risk taking the player. And we called Cody into the office and said, Cody, love you, man, but you've been claimed by the Giants.
Go speak to the traveling secretary because you're getting on a plane. It's your ass out. We had cleaned out his locker. We had done everything.
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Chapter 8: What was the experience of Cody Ross and Dan Uggla in arbitration?
Now, everything that's said is kept off the record, obviously, completely secret. And in fact, salary arbitration is so infamous for poisoning work relationships headed into spring training that some franchises in baseball will simply pay a premium in order to avoid ever having to go through this mess at all.
Luckily, however, I found the one team president who apparently cannot wait to talk about that mess. And the same is true of his journeyman outfielder, Cody Ross, and his all-star second baseman, Dan Ugla. What was at stake for you, Dan? Again, I know you as the guy on my fantasy baseball team, power hitter, guy hitting 30 home runs.
And then in 2009, what's at stake for you ahead of arbitration as you remember it?
I was actually on the verge of possibly setting the record for the most money ever in arbitration received by, I don't know if it was like all players or just second baseman. I can't remember. But I know that that was like- It was old white power hitters. Because- In the lead club.
Very elite.
Right? So I think that Mark was set at like 5'5", or somewhere around there. And David, I believe you guys were around 4'2", 4'1".
It was, hold on. It's funny that you guys are so rich that I need to clarify the hundreds of thousands of difference here. 5'3", 5'. Was what Dan wanted. 4-4 in millions we're talking about is what our friend David was willing to pay you. That's right. That's right.
So that's a pretty big difference, right? So you're at 4-4 if you lose. If you lose arbitration, the player gets what the team is offering, which would have been $4.4 million. And if you win, Dan would get $5.35. There's no middle. There's no splitting the baby. The arbitrators either choose to side with the player or the team. Right. Right.
And by getting to that point, you know, we obviously there's a big gap between negotiations and that we couldn't come to. So so that's how you end up in the room.
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