Dodgers: A Breakdown of Which Players Are Up for Arbitration

There are only a few weeks left until the salary arbitration exchange deadline and the Dodgers have multiple decisions to make.

The team came into the offseason with nine initial arbitration-eligible players, but after non-tendering two of them and three others added to the list as “Super Twos,” the list currently holds 10 players.

How does a player become eligible for arbitration? The first three years of a player’s career are considered a player’s pre-arbitration years.

During this time, the team has control over that player’s rights for any among they choose to pay. This particular number has to be the league minimum at the very least. More times than not, a player will see an increase after attaining the minimum amount in his first year.

Between years three and six in the league, players are then eligible for arbitration. With arbitration, both the player and his respective team can submit an amount they think the player should be paid. The two parties defend their sides in court and an arbitration panel chooses one or the other.

A “Super Two '' means that a player can become eligible for arbitration a year early between years two and three in the league. This year’s cutoff for Super Two status ended up being two years and 128 days.

MLB Trade Rumors creates a projection system to estimate how much a player will make in arbitration.

Below is a list of the 10 Dodgers who are eligible for arbitration:

Julio Urias (5.117): $13.7MM

Julio is in his final year of arbitration and enters his last season before free agency. With the incredible past two seasons he’s had, he’s expected to make a decent amount in arbitration.

Walker Buehler (4.168): $8.1MM

Though Buehler is likely to miss the majority of 2023, the arbitration process takes into account his past seasons played. With that in mind, he has a high chance of receiving similar salaries in 2023 and 2024.

Caleb Ferguson (4.088): $1.1MM

Ferguson's Tommy John surgery weighed down his game early on in his career and as a result, it impacts how much he can make in arbitration. Because he is a reliever, this factor also means he will not make as much as starters do.

Yency Almonte (3.143): $1MM

Almonte had a career-best season and has plenty of room for growth. With this being his first year of arbitration, he is projected to make up to $1m million in that process.

Will Smith (3.090): $5.2MM

Smith is also in his first year of arbitration. He will most likely see a big raise after his 2022 performance of 4.2 bWAR and 3.9 fWAR.

Dustin May (3.059): $1.4MM

May is another player that will receive an amount impacted by his early Tommy John surgery. Because he has two more years left in arbitration, he can turn things around in the coming seasons.

Trayce Thompson (3.010): $1.7MM

Trayce had a productive 2022 and has been a significant addition to the team defensively. After three years of service time, he’s expected to now receive a raise over the league minimum.

Brusdar Graterol (2.167): $1.2MM

Brusdar is one of the Super Twos, just 13 days shy of three years.

Tony Gonsolin (2.152): $3.5MM

Gonsolin is also a Super Two. He can expect a raise in arbitration after posting a combined 2.51 ERA in his first four seasons.

Evan Phillips (2.136): $1.4MM

As a Super Two, Phillips’ pay will probably double in arbitration, especially after having a dominant 2022.

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