The Los Angeles Dodgers went more than a decade without an arbitration hearing but this faced the prospect of having four of them: Pedro Baez, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson and Chris Taylor.
Conversely, the Dodgers agreed to one-year contracts with fellow arbitration-eligible players, Cody Bellinger, Kiké Hernandez, Corey Seager, Ross Stripling and Julio Urias before last month’s deadline. At the time of tendering contracts in December, L.A. also agreed to one-year deals with Scott Alexander and Austin Barnes.
Yimi Garcia was the only player the Dodgers non-tendered, and he went on to sign with the Miami Marlins.
Meanwhile, an arbitration hearing was avoided with Muncy by agreeing to a three-year contract extension with a club option for the 2023 season. The Dodgers did go to a hearing with Pederson, who lost, according to Andy McCullough of the The Athletic:
Joc Pederson lost his arbitration case. He will get $7.75 million instead of his requested $9.5 million, sources tell @Ken_Rosenthal and I.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) February 7, 2020
While Pederson filed at $9.5 million, and the Dodgers countered by submitting $7.75 million, MLB Trade Rumors projected an $8.5 million salary for Pederson this season.
Ahead of potential hearings with Muncy, Pederson and Taylor, the Dodgers reportedly were going to base a portion of their argument on neither being an everyday player. Pederson nonetheless appeared in 149 games last season.
He batted .249/.339/.538 with 16 doubles, 36 home runs, 83 runs scored and 74 RBI. Pederson’s batting average, slugging percentage, home runs, runs scored and RBI all represented the best marks of his career.
Pederson additionally broke his own Dodgers franchise record with nine leadoff home runs — one year after setting the mark with eight.
Of course, he now appears poised to join the L.A. Angels. Soon after reaching an agreement to acquire Mookie Betts and David Price, the Dodgers came to terms on a trade that sends Pederson and Ross Stripling to the Angels.
However, that deal is contingent on the three-team trade with the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins first being completed. There is general optimism that will get finalized, but how the Red Sox will be compensated after raising issue with Brusdar Graterol’s medicals remains unclear.
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