Prior to the start of the 2021 regular season the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided arbitration with Cody Bellinger, Dylan Floro, Corey Knebel, Corey Seager and Julio Urias. However, they initially failed to do so with Walker Buehler and Austin Barnes ahead of the deadline.
Buehler reportedly filed at $4.15 million for his 2021 salary, while the Dodgers countered with $3.3 million. He was said to have intentions of going through with an arbitration hearing unless receiving a multi-year contract.
That ultimately came to be as Buehler and the Dodgers avoided to a two-year, $8 million contract that included a signing bonus and incentives.
According to Pedro Moura of Fox Sports, the Dodgers first tried to sign Buehler to a long-term contract extension:
He rejected an extension offer that would have guaranteed him many millions of dollars, deciding instead on a shorter-term pact that still secured him a significant sum.
L.A. presumably attempted to lock up their young right-hander on a team-friendly deal. Buehler was coming off a shortened season in which he was somewhat limited by blister trouble and finished 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA, 4.36 FIP, 0.96 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 36.2 innings over eight starts.
Of course, Buehler was then instrumental in the Dodgers winning the World Series. Buehler dealt with some inconsistent velocity last year but put together a strong season that earned him a fourth-place finish in National League Cy Young Award voting.
Buehler was second in the NL with 207.2 innings pitched, while posting a 2.47 ERA, which was just 0.04 behind Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and 0.01 behind Max Scherzer.
When will Buehler become free agent?
Details of the Dodgers’ offer to Buehler never surfaced, and he remains on track to become a free agent after the 2024 season.
Buehler was eligible for four years of salary arbitration by virtue of being a super two player.
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