The Los Angeles Dodgers went into the offseason with nine players eligible for salary arbitration, but that group was down to five as the 2 p.m. PT deadline to tender contracts arrived.
The group of Dodgers arbitration players for the 2026 season consisted of Anthony Banda, Alex Call, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips and Brock Stewart.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Dodgers chose to non-tender Phillips:
Reliever Evan Phillips non-tendered by Dodgers and is now a free agent, source tells @TheAthletic. Underwent Tommy John surgery June 4.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 21, 2025
With the Dodgers’ decision, Phillips immediately becomes a free agent who can sign with any club. That includes the Dodgers, be it on a Minor League deal or another Major League contract. For the time being, Phillips getting non-tendered opens another spot on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster that now sits at 38 players.
Phillips had a delayed start to the 2025 season because of the recovery from a small tear in the back of the rotator cuff in his right shoulder. He then managed to appear in just seven games before going back on the 15-day injured list due to right forearm discomfort.
That was followed shortly after by news of Phillips requiring Tommy John surgery. Phillips recently posted he started a throwing program as he looks toward returning at some point in the second half of the 2026 season.
Even with some of the question marks surrounding Phillips given his recent injuries, the Dodgers’ decision comes as somewhat of a surprise considering his past success and their need for bullpen help.
Evan Phillips’ projected arbitration salary
Despite last year’s right shoulder injury and now being in the midst of recovering from Tommy John, MLB Trade Rumors predicted Phillips was in line for a $6.1 million salary via the arbitration process.
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