Aside from free agents, the Los Angeles Dodgers also face decisions on seven players who are eligible for salary arbitration. The group is comprised of Scott Alexander, Austin Barnes, Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, Dylan Floro, Corey Seager and Julio Urias.
The Dodgers — and all other clubs — must tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players prior to deadline at 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday. Failure to do so will result in the player(s) reaching free agency.
For the Dodgers, that possibility could come into play with Alexander or Floro, though it still would be a surprise. Alexander dealt with some inconsistency this past season, but could be one of the few left-handed relief pitchers the Dodgers will have on their roster in 2021.
Caleb Ferguson is due to miss the entire season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, and Jake McGee is among the Dodgers’ free agents. If L.A. is to non-tender Alexander, it would potentially leave Adam Kolarek and Victor Gonzalez as their only lefty relievers.
Floro could be a victim of a numbers crunch, but that wouldn’t become clear until Pedro Baez and Blake Treinen make their decisions in free agency. Aside from that, Floro did produce a quality season as he effectively developed a changeup to better neutralize left-handed batters.
What could become a factor is Alexander has two option years remaining, and Floro has one.
The outlook is much more certain for Barnes, Bellinger, Buehler, Seager and Urias, as they each will be tendered a contract. Seager is going through the arbitration process for a final time, and has been pegged by many as a candidate to sign a long-term contract extension.
However, coming off a strong season that ended with earning MVP honors in the National League Championship Series and World Series, it is much more likely Scott Boras advises Seager to become an outright free agent next year.
Of the Dodgers who are eligible for salary arbitration, Bellinger is projected to earn the most in 2021. His $11.5 million salary last year broke Kris Bryant’s MLB record for a first-year arbitration-eligible player. Interestingly enough, Bryant has been mentioned as a potential non-tender candidate this year.
Arbitration process
Once players are tendered, they and teams can negotiate contracts. If they are unable to reach an agreement by the middle of January, they will exchange salary figures and head into an arbitration hearing.
L.A. faced that possibility with Max Muncy, Joc Pederson and Chris Taylor prior to the 2020 season. Muncy and Taylor were signed to multi-year contracts, and Pederson lost his case. The hearing was the Dodgers’ first since defeating Joe Beimel in 2007.
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