The Los Angeles Dodgers went into the offseason with 13 players eligible for arbitration next season, though Wander Suero elected free agency after being sent outright to the Minors.
One month later, the Dodgers tendered contracts to the rest of their arbitration-eligible players at the deadline. Nearly simultaneously, it was reported the Dodgers signed Yency Almonte to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration for the 2024 season.
Still left for L.A. is to work out deals with Walker Buehler, Caleb Ferguson, J.P. Feyereisen, Victor González, Brusdar Graterol, Gavin Lux, Dustin May, Evan Phillips, Will Smith, Alex Vesia and Ryan Yarbrough.
In line with the usual arbitration process, each of the aforementioned players are due to see an increase in salary for the 2024 season, via MLB Trade Rumors:
Walker Buehler (5.168): $8.03MM
Ryan Yarbrough (5.117): $3.8MM
Caleb Ferguson (5.093): $2.3MM
Will Smith (4.090): $9.3MM
Dustin May (4.059): $2.4MM
Brusdar Graterol (3.167): $2.5MM
Evan Phillips (3.136): $3.4MM
Gavin Lux (3.114): $1.1MM
J.P. Feyereisen (3.108): $1MM
Alex Vesia (3.078): $1.2MM
Victor Gonzalez (3.058): $1MM
Almonte’s reported contract is for $1.9 million, which matched the projection he had from MLB Trade Rumors.
May is a candidate to sign a multi-year contract due to potentially missing all of the 2024 season while he recovers from surgery to repair his right flexor tendon in addition to UCL reconstruction revision from a previous Tommy John operation.
Buehler, Ferguson and Yarbrough are each going the salary arbitration process for the final time in their respective careers.
Dodgers arbitration history
The Dodgers will continue to discuss a new contract with the players tendered a contract, and if they have not agreed on a salary by the January 12 deadline, the team and player exchange salary figures for the 2024 season.
If necessary, arbitration hearings will be held January 29 through February 16. After listening to arguments from both parties, a three-person panel selects the figure of either the player or team, but not one in between, as the salary for the upcoming season.
Teams can continue negotiating contract terms beyond the deadline, but Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman historically has operated under a file and trial approach. Exceptions have proven to be when signing players to a multi-year contract.
The Dodgers’ last arbitration hearings were with Pedro Baez and Joc Pederson in 2020. Pederson filed for a $9.5 million salary, and the Dodgers countered by submitting for $7.75 million. MLB Trade Rumors projected an $8.5 million salary for Pederson, but the arbitration panel wound up siding with the Dodgers’ figure.
Baez won his arbitration case and received a $4 million salary for the 2020 season. The Dodgers had countered at $3.5 million, while MLB Trade Rumors projected a $3.3 million salary.
Prior to cases with Baez and Pederson, the Dodgers’ most recent arbitration hearing was against Joe Beimel in 2007, which they won as well.
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