The Los Angeles Dodgers announced one-year contracts with Luis Avilan, Josh Fields, Yasmani Grandal and Alex Wood to avoid arbitration with the quartet. Prior to Friday, Los Angeles agreed to deals with Chris Hatcher, Vidal Nuno and Scott Van Slyke.
Avilan’s contract is worth a reported $1.5 million, which matches what MLB Trade Rumors projected. The left-handed reliever began the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, though also appeared in 27 games for the Dodgers.
With OKC, Avilan pitched to 4.24 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. With the Dodgers, he sported a 3.20 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. Avilan ranked behind only Kenley Jansen among Dodgers relievers with a 2.13 FIP.
After enduring struggles during his stints with the Dodgers, Avilan finished the regular season with nine scoreless innings over 11 appearances.
Fields’ $1.05 million contract falls short of his $1.2 million projection. Los Angeles acquired the right-hander at the non-waiver trade deadline in exchange for Cuban outfielder Yordan Alvarez.
Fields posted a 2.79 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 1.45 WHIP and had 22 strikeouts to eight walks over 19.1 innings pitched after joining the Dodgers. He was effective down the stretch of the season, earning a spot on the National League Division and Championship Series rosters.
In the postseason, Fields threw a combined 2.1 shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four.
Grandal’s reported $5.5 million contract exceeds the projected $5.3 million. Despite suffering from nagging injuries throughout the year, he batted .228/.339/.477 with 14 doubles, 27 home runs, 72 RBI and a 121 OPS+ in 126 games.
Like Grandal, the value of Wood’s new contract — a reported $2.8 million — is more than MLB Trade Rumors projected. Injuries limited Wood to just 14 games (10 starts) last season, and he went 1-4 with a 3.73 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 1.26 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 60.1 innings.
The four relief appearances came after Wood was reinstated from the disabled list late in the season, and he excelled in the role, throwing four shutout frames.
Although a small sample size, Wood did set a career high by averaging 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He was left off the roster for the NLDS, but was included for the NLCS. Wood’s only postseason appearance came in Game 4 when he allowed two hits and hit a batter in two scoreless innings.
