Coming off back-to-back World Series losses, the Los Angeles Dodgers are going into the 2019 season looking to finally get over the hump and with their first championship since 1988.
The club returns its key nucleus of players from a year ago, and that includes talented young talents such as Cody Bellinger and Julio Urias. Though for Urias, the 2019 season should see him fill a larger role as he’s further removed from shoulder surgery.
Both Bellinger and Urias have made big contributions in their short time at the Major League level, and because of that, the Dodgers have rewarded them a bit. According to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, both players agreed to new contracts renewed for the 2019 season and will be making more than the minimum despite not yet being arbitration-eligible:
#Dodgers 1B/OF Cody Bellinger, the 2017 NL rookie of the year, has agreed to terms on a $605,000 contract for 2019, a $20,000 raise from 2018. Unlike last season, Bellinger's contract was not renewed by the team. Bellinger will be eligible for arbitration in 2020.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) March 5, 2019
#Dodgers LHP Julio Urias has agreed to terms on a $565,000 contract for 2019. He has looked extremely good this spring in preparation for his first full season after shoulder surgery.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) March 5, 2019
Bellinger led the Dodgers with 162 games played in 2018, batting .260/.343/.470 with 25 home runs, 84 runs scored, 75 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts. That production was well below most of his rookie year statistics, but he was still a worthy contributor by many metrics.
Bellinger will serve as the team’s everyday right fielder in 2019, while Urias is competing for a spot in the starting rotation.
Coming off shoulder surgery that required more than a year of recovery, Urias was limited to just 10.1 innings in 2018 between the regular and postseason for the Dodgers.
The 22-year-old will be on an innings limit this season, but he has looked great so far this spring and has a chance to be in the starting rotation at the start of the season.
