A subplot to free agency for the Los Angeles Dodgers and all other teams has been the usual business of making contract decisions on players who are eligible for salary arbitration.
The deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players was in November. The Dodgers did so with Anthony Banda, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips and Alex Vesia.
Connor Brogdon was also poised to be eligible for arbitration in 2025, but he elected free agency after being outrighted by the Dodgers off their 40-man roster. Brogdon has since gone on to sign a Minor League contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May were eligible for arbitration as well, but they signed respective one-year contracts.
Thursday at 10 a.m. PT was the deadline for players and teams to exchange salary figures, which generated plenty of activity.
According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Banda and the Dodgers agreed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration:
Source: Dodgers, Anthony Banda settled at $1 million to avoid arbitration.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) January 9, 2025
Banda was arbitration-eligible for the first time in his career. He appeared in a combined 90 games while pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Washington Nationals from 2017-2023.
But it wasn’t until with the Dodgers that the left-hander carved out a significant role. Banda set a career high last year by appearing in 48 games. He went 3-2 with two saves, a 3.08 ERA and 1.25 WHIP while emerging as a key high-leverage option for manager Dave Roberts.
MLB Trade Rumors predicted Banda’s salary for 2025 to be $1.1 million.
Dodgers arbitration hearings history
Although teams can continue negotiating contracts beyond the deadline to exchange salary figures, 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 at $9.5 million and the Dodgers countered by submitting for a $7.75 million salary. 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.
Before cases with Baez and Pederson, the Dodgers’ most recent arbitration hearing was against Joe Beimel in 2007, which they won.
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