The Philadelphia Phillies were unable to avoid arbitration with Hunter Pence like they did with Cole Hamels (via John Heyman's Twitter).
Pence filed at $11.8 million while the Phillies filed filed at $9 million. This is not Pence's first arbitration battle with an MLB club. Just last season, Pence won his case against the Astros before the 2011 season and took home $6.9 million. The $6.9 million he asked for set a record for 2nd-time eligible position players (Biz of Baseball). In 2010, he increased his Astros salary more than seven-fold through arbitration (via Boston Herald). Pence played for Houston from 2007 before joining the Phillies last season via trade.
Pence hit .324 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI in 54 games for the Phillies in 2011. He finished fourth in the National League in batting average. Pence was an All-Star in 2009 and 2011. As you can see from his previously successful arbitration cases, Pence might not come cheap.
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