Brock Stewart was one of nine Los Angeles Dodgers players who went into the offseason eligible for salary arbitration in 2026. Four of those players were not with the organization by the time the deadline to tender contracts in late November passed.
The Dodgers non-tendered Evan Phillips, who was projected to receive $6.1 million in salary arbitration. Meanwhile, Tony Gonsolin was designated for assignment and Michael Grove got outrighted off the 40-man roster.
The Dodgers also agreed to a new contract with Ben Rortvedt but he was subsequently put on waivers and claimed by the Cincinnati Reds.
Stewart was among their remaining arbitration-eligible players still on the roster and he agreed to a new deal with the Dodgers to avoid arbitration ahead of the Jan. 8 deadline, according to Jack Harris of the California Post:
The Dodgers have agreed to deals with Alex Call and Brock Stewart to avoid arbitration, per sources
Call settled at $1.6 million and Stewart settled at $1.3 million
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) January 8, 2026
Anthony Banda, Alex Call and Brusdar Graterol were the only arbitration-eligible players without new deals entering this week. Graterol signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract on Thursday to avoid arbitration.
In addition to signing Stewart, the Dodgers also agreed to a new deal with Call.
Stewart will be eligible for arbitration once again in 2027, in what is his final year of team control. His salary in 2025 was $870,000, so this new deal for 2026 is a significant pay increase.
MLB Trade Rumors projected Stewart to receive a $1.44 million salary for the 2026 season.
The right-hander was not able to contribute significantly to the Dodgers last season after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Twins. He made just four appearances before being placed on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes recently said Stewart is expected to be part of the team’s bullpen plan next season. The right-hander is expected to miss some time to start the season as he recovers from right shoulder surgery.
Brock Stewart believes velocity contributed to injuries
Stewart has dealt with significant injuries dating back to the Tommy John surgery procedure he underwent in 2021.
Back when he was still with the Minnesota Twins in 2024, Stewart gave his theory as to why he has had trouble staying healthy. He believes that adding a significant amount of fastball velocity in a condensed amount of time put a lot of strain on his arm.
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