The Los Angeles Dodgers 40-man roster has remained near-full or without any open space so far this offseason. That looks to still be the case for the foreseeable future as the team tendered contracts to players who are eligible for salary arbitration for the 2026 season.
Coming off their back-to-back World Series win, the Dodgers went into the offseason with nine players who were eligible for salary arbitration. However, as the 2 p.m. PT deadline arrived on Friday to tender contracts to such players, their group was down to five.
Tony Gonsolin previously was designated for assignment and went unclaimed on waivers. The Dodgers then outrighted Gonsolin off their 40-man roster but he chose free agency over accepting a Minor League assignment.
Michael Grove also elected to become a free agent upon being outrighted.
Meanwhile, Ben Rortvedt was no longer included among the Dodgers’ arbitration players due to being claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds. It had not been announced that Rortvedt was waived or designated for assignment by the Dodgers.
Shortly after news of his joining the Reds, it was reported Rortvedt and the Dodgers agreed to a $1.25 million contract for 2026. That presumably was in effort to dissuade other teams from claiming the backstop off waivers, though it was to no avail.
Thus, the group of Dodgers arbitration players as of Friday consisted of Anthony Banda, Alex Call, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips and Brock Stewart.
Once the deadline arrived, Phillips was non-tendered and became a free agent.
Each of the aforementioned players has three or more years of Major League service time but less than six years, which makes them eligible for salary arbitration for the 2026 season.
Although the Dodgers retained the rights to the group, they are still not officially under contract for the upcoming season. The Dodgers will continue to discuss a new contract with each, and if they have not agreed on a salary by the Jan. 9, 2026 deadline, the team and player exchange salary figures for the upcoming season.
If necessary, MLB arbitration hearings will be held from Jan. 26-Feb. 20. 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.
While he wasn’t yet poised to go through the arbitration process, Justin Dean was removed from the Dodgers’ 40-man roster this offseason as well. Dean was immediately claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants upon getting DFA’d.
Nick Frasso, also not yet eligible for arbitration, was non-tendered and taken off the 40-man roster.
Dodgers arbitration players for 2026
Anthony Banda
Banda is arbitration-eligible for the second time in his career. He appeared in a career-high 71 games this past season, enduring some early struggles and finishing with a 3.18 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
MLB Trade Rumors has predicted Banda’s salary for 2026 will be $1.7 million.
Alex Call
Call is going through arbitration for the first time and does so as a Super Two player. Call joined the Dodgers at the trade deadline this year and went on to play in 38 games.
Call could be among the Dodgers’ plans to address a need in left field during the 2026 season.
Call’s salary for the 2026 season is projected to be $1.5 million by MLB Trade Rumors.
Brusdar Graterol
Graterol is going through arbitration for a third time in his career but does so after missing the entire 2025 season due to having right shoulder surgery in November 2024.
There was an initial expectation that Graterol would return during the second half of this year, but his recovery process stalled and now there’s optimism for 2026.
MLB Trade Rumors projected a $2.8 million salary for Graterol next season.
Brock Stewart
Stewart also joined the Dodgers at the trade deadline in 2025 and now is eligible for arbitration. Expected to fill a significant need in the bullpen, Stewart pitched in just four games for the Dodgers.
He underwent a debridement in his right shoulder but the Dodgers anticipate Stewart being available for most of the 2026 season. MLB Trade Rumors has predicted a $1.4 million salary in Stewart’s second time being eligible for arbitration.
Dodgers arbitration hearings history
The Dodgers next will continue to discuss a new contract with the players who were tendered a contract.
Although teams can continue negotiating terms 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 with 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.
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 Baez and Pederson, the Dodgers’ most recent arbitration hearing was against Joe Beimel in 2007, which they won.
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