An important date on the MLB offseason calendar is coming up as Friday marks the deadline for teams to exchange salary figures with their arbitration-eligible players. For the Los Angeles Dodgers, they will attempt to work out deals with 10 players, including Walker Buehler, Will Smith and Julio Urías.
The rest of the group is comprised of Yency Almonte, Caleb Ferguson, Tony Gonsolin, Brusdar Graterol, Dustin May, Evan Phillips and Trayce Thompson.
The Dodgers originally had 12 players who were eligible for salary arbitration, but they non-tendered Cody Bellinger and Edwin Ríos. The club did the same to Luke Williams, who was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins at the beginning of the offseason.
Since being named president of baseball operations at the end of the 2014 season, the Dodgers have been a “file and trial” team in arbitration. That means if an agreement isn’t reached by the deadline, an arbitration hearing will likely follow.
However, players and teams are still permitted to negotiate contract terms past the deadline. Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, Austin Barnes and Buehler are among those who signed contract extensions in recent years to avoid a hearing.
The Dodgers have had two arbitration hearings under Friedman, both of which came in 2020. The team won their case over Joc Pederson but lost to Pedro Báez. Those were the first arbitration hearings for the Dodgers since winning against Joe Beimel in 2007.
Dodgers salary arbitration projections
Of the Dodgers’ 10 players eligible for arbitration, Urías is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to receive the highest salary at $13.7 million. That would represent more than a $5 million raise from the salary he earned this past season.
Buehler is projected to receive the second highest salary despite undergoing Tommy John surgery that will keep him out for most, if not all, of the 2023 season.
Smith is expected to receive the second largest increase as he enters his first year of arbitration. Almonte, May and Thompson are also going through the process for the first time in their careers.
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