Dodgers Team News

Dodgers Settle All Arbitration Issues

The deadline for players and teams to submit arbitration figures has come and gone. The players who were under the gun were Pedro Baez, Josh Fields, Yimi Garcia, Kiké Hernandez, Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Chris Taylor. Tony Cingrani had already agreed on a salary with the Dodgers a few weeks ago. The great news is that all of them settled before both the player and team had to exchange salary numbers.

What Is Arbitration?

For some background on about how players are eligible for arbitration. Players with three or more years that are not under a multi year contract (like Kenta Maeda) and aren’t yet eligible for free agency (six hears MLB service time) are eligible for arbitration. Some players with less than three years of MLB service time are eligible for arbitration:



“If they have less then three full seasons of MLB service time, but are within the top 22% of players with more than two years of service time. This is called the “Super Two” exception” – FanGraphs

Some players like Austin Barnes and Max Muncy fell short of being a “Super Two” and this saves quite a bit of money for the Dodgers. Moreover, it gives the Dodgers one more season of team control. Those two, plus Cody Bellinger, will be eligible for arbitration after the 2019 season.

Overall the arbitration process is like this:

  • Player is eligible for arbitration is either offered a contract or released
  • Players and teams exchange figures
  • A hearing is held and the arbitrator chooses either the player or team contract value

At any point in the above process the player and team can agree on a new contract.

The Numbers

MLB Trade Rumors had the following estimates and then followed by the actual agreed upon salary:

  • Joc Pederson – $4.3M / actual $5M
  • Kiké Hernandez – $3.2M / actual $3.725M
  • Chris Taylor – $3.2M / actual $3.5M
  • Josh Fields – $2.8M / actual $2.85M
  • Corey Seager – $2.6M / actual $4M
  • Pedro Baez – $1.8M / actual $2.1M
  • Yimi Garcia – $900K / actual $710K

The Boras Concern

Jun 6, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) bats against the Colorado Rockies during a MLB game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

My biggest cause of concern was Corey Seager. That $2.6M figure seemed very low for such a great player with three years of experience. Even though he missed most of the 2018 season he’s still a top player. Then when Kyle Schwarber settled for $3.4M this morning I became concerned that things might get difficult in the Seager negotiations. Remember, his agent is Scott Boras and he drives a hard bargain in all cases. At the end of the day, no need to worry.

Final Notes

The latest salary, after the latest salary adjustments is located here. It also includes the Russell Martin salary information and will continue to be updated as arbitration numbers come through.

Getting all the salary arbitration cases settled before they reach a hearing clears out some possible issues. When the hearings occur, feelings can get hurt and it can tarnish the relationship between the player and the team.

Dodgers Trade For Toronto Catcher Russell Martin

Tim Rogers

A fan of the Dodgers since 1973 since I got my first baseball cards while living in Long Beach. I came to San Diego for college and never left nor did I ever switch my Dodgers' allegiance. Some know me as the "sweater guy". #ProspectHugger

8 Comments

  1. Not my money, but I would have made Seager the highest paid player of this group, at least the same as Pederson. Yimi Garcia is out of minor league options and seems likely to be traded, or DFA.

  2. Nice to see these arbitrations settled… but now… how will the Dodgers brass make
    The team better. As it stands now, it is significantly worse than last year’s WS team…
    (no Kemp, no Puig, no Machado) let’s hope they close this offseason strong.

  3. I agree with you, SoCal : Corey should have been given a heftier sum, and I feel he would of had he not been injured. Lets see what the future brings. Anxiously awaiting AF’s next moves!!!! At present, we are not as good as we were in 2018. Hope you are well!!! Go Blue!!

    1. Good Saturday to you BLUE LOU! AF’s next move should be for an impact RH bat for middle of lineup. To this day that IMHO is the most glaring need on this team.

      1. We do need an impact bat; that is for sure!!!!! I would take PD Jr if he were right handed. Right now, we have too many holes in our lineup. And, I truly hope we can cut down the platooning. Go AZUL!!!

  4. Can’t understand why Dodgers cleared all that cap space. They haven’t really done anything with it. Russell Martin? You’re kidding, right? Guess the organization is throwing this season away. Once again, with just a couple of signings away from being a totally dominant team, they refuse to finish the moves they need to do in order to dominate the NL for this year. Other teams in NL have gotten significantly better, i.e., the Brewers. While the Dodgers have basically stood pat. Great! Help!

  5. Pederson is worth more than Seager and Taylor? I guess it’s all negotiable.
    As for the other needs AJ Pollock and Adam Jones are available free agent outfielders with good bats, Gennett in Cinci and Whitfield in KC are solid 2b w sticks that might be traded for.
    I don’t think Friedman is done yet.

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