Braves beat Riley, Cards defeat O’Neill in arbitration

NEW YORK (AP) — The Atlanta Braves beat third baseman Austin Riley and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated outfielder Tyler O’Neill in the first salary arbitration decisions this year. Riley was awarded $3.95 million rather than his $4.25 million request. Arbitrators Richard Bloch, Steven Wolf and John Woods heard the case virtually on Tuesday. A two-time Gold Glove winner, O’Neill was awarded $3.4 million instead of his $4.15 million request. Mark Burstein, Brian Keller and John Stout who heard the case on Friday. Two cases are pending and 16 additional players are eligible for arbitration, with hearings scheduled through June 24.