Friday marked the deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to come to agreements on contracts for the 2020 MLB season. Usually for the Los Angeles Dodgers, that doesn’t mean all that much.
The Dodgers have not had an arbitration hearing since 2007 when they were unable to come to an agreement with left-handed reliever Joe Beimel. L.A. carried forward with the hearing, which them emerged successful from.
That is an impressive feat considering the team usually has between five and 10 arbitration-eligible players of its roster in any given season. L.A. had nine such players to negotiate with this winter after tendering contracts, and while they were able to agree to deals with a handful of them, including a record-breaking deal for Cody Bellinger, they weren’t able to do so with others.
That group is comprised of Pedro Baez, Joc Pederson, Max Muncy and Chris Taylor. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Dodgers and Pederson filed salary figures that are nearly $2 million apart:
Joc Pederson submits $9.5m, Dodgers $7.75 m
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 11, 2020
The disparity isn’t quite as drastic with both Taylor and Baez:
Chris Taylor submits $5.8m, Dodgers $5.25m
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 11, 2020
Pedro Baez submits $4.0m, Dodgers $3.5m
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 11, 2020
There also is a relatively slim margin between the figures filed by the Dodgers and Muncy, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
Max Muncy files at $4.675 million; Dodgers file at $4 million, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 11, 2020
The Dodgers and Friedman typically have stuck to a file-and-trial approach, though both sides conceivably could continue negotiating and avoid an arbitration hearing.
Muncy has been a breakout star for the Dodgers over the last two years. After being released by the Oakland Athletics and signing a Minor League deal with L.A., he worked his way to the Majors in 2018 and never looked back.
The 29-year-old made his first All-Star team in 2019, hitting .251/.374/.515 with 35 home runs, 101 runs scored and 98 RBI in 141 games. Muncy also improved on the defensive side of the ball and demonstrated versatility by playing first, second and third base at a high level.
Baez is in his final year of arbitration eligibility before becoming a free agent next winter. He has been a steady presence in the Dodgers’ bullpen the last handful of years, and in 71 games in 2019, pitched to a 3.10 ERA, 3.52 FIP and 0.95 WHIP. The 31-year-old had a 7-2 record with 69 strikeouts and 23 walks in 69.2 innings.
Taylor’s story with the Dodgers is similar to Muncy’s in that he burst onto the scene in 2017 after an under-the-radar trade with the Seattle Mariners. He has since settled in as a solid utility man, hitting .262/.333/.462 with 12 home runs, 52 runs scored and 52 RBI in 124 games in 2019.
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