Blue Jays' Stroman, Astros' McHugh go to salary arbitration

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Toronto's Marcus Stroman and Houston's Collin McHugh became the latest pitchers to go to salary arbitration.

Stroman asked for a raise from $525,900 to $3.4 million, and Toronto argued for a $3.1 million salary during Friday's hearing before arbitrators Steven Wolf, Jeanne Wood, James Oldham.

McHugh asked for a raise from $529,000 to $3.85 million, and Houston pushed for a $3.35 million salary in a case heard by Sylvia Skratek, Elizabeth Neumeier and Andrew Strongin.

Decisions will not be issued until all cases are completed that involve first-time eligible starting pitchers. Milwaukee's Chase Anderson and Arizona's Taijuan Walker also have gone to hearings and are awaiting decisions, and Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi and St. Louis' Michael Wacha are among six players scheduled for hearings next week.

A 25-year-old right-hander, Stroman was 9-10 with a 4.37 ERA last year in his first full season following a torn left anterior cruciate ligament. McHugh, a 29-year-old right-hander, was 13-10 with a 4.34 ERA, down from 19-7 in 2015.

Teams and players have split six decisions this year. Oakland outfielder Khris Davis ($5 million), Miami pitcher David Phelps ($4.6 million) and New York Mets infielder Wilmer Flores ($2.2 million) won, and Arizona pitcher Shelby Miller ($4.7 million), Boston pitcher Fernando Abad ($2 million) and Baltimore catcher Caleb Joseph ($700,000) lost.