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Andrew Miller is going to take a 20 percent pay cut in 2010. He knows it. He has no problem with it. The question nobody seems to know exactly is from what amount to subtract that 20 percent.
The Marlins left-hander is in a unique situation. After the Tigers drafted him sixth overall in 2006, they signed him to a major league split contract with a $3.55 million prorated signing bonus that was paid over four seasons. What that means is Miller received one amount while he was in the majors and a lower amount while in the minors. Miller’s 2009 salary is listed as $2,462,500, a $1.575 million base salary plus $887,500, the last installment of his signing bonus paid in December.
It’s not as simple as subtracting 20 percent from either $2.4625 million or $1.575 million because Miller didn’t earn that much. He made more like $1.38 million in base salary because he spent 47 days in the minors. While in the minors, Miller made a prorated share of $700,000. Tack on the prorated share of his signing bonus and the actual money Miller earned in 2009 was about $2.27 million.
Is Miller entitled to 80 percent of the 2009 contractual salary, or the actual money he received?
“It’s more for the mathematicians than for the agents and general managers to figure out,” said Mark Rodgers, Miller’s agent. “We’ll come up with a number here. There’s no acrimony…I don’t even want to call it a dispute. There’s no contingency for it…Me, [General Manager] Michael Hill, the Players’ Association and the Commissioner’s Office are trying to collectively figure it out.”
Per the collective bargaining agreement, the Marlins can cut Miller’s major league salary by 20 percent and his minor league split by 40 percent, which could come into play because Miller has an option remaining. Rodgers said the all parties are trying to determine what Miller’s minor league split should be as well.
Miller already has signed a renewal with the understanding his 2010 salary parameters will be change if new figures are determined. That the Marlins are cutting Miller’s salary isn’t a source of contention. They did the same thing with Josh Beckett after the four-year. $7 million major league draft deal he signed expired. Because Beckett was not yet arbitration-eligible, the Marlins cut Beckett’s salary 20 percent from $2.15625 million in 2002 to $1.725 million in 2003. Coming off his World Series MVP performance, the Marlins again cut Beckett’s salary by 12.5 percent in what was his final season before arbitration eligibility.
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