The Los Angeles Dodgers have avoided arbitration with two key players, catcher Will Smith and starting pitcher Walker Buehler. Smith and the Dodgers settled at $5.25 million while Buehler and Los Angeles settled at $8.02 million, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Fellow pitcher Dustin May and outfielder Trayce Thompson were also among those to avoid arbitration with the Dodgers on Friday.
Buehler, 28, is coming off of an injury-shortened season that saw him make just 12 starts, posting a 4.02 ERA in just 65 innings pitched while recording 58 strikeouts.
The year prior, Buehler was a legitimate Cy Young candidate, recording career-best marks in wins, ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts.
The Dodgers will look forward to having the talented right-hander, who underwent surgery during the 2022 season, healthy for next year.
Meanwhile, Smith, already one of the better offensive catchers in the MLB, put together another strong season, posting an .807 OPS with 24 home runs, 87 RBI and 68 runs scored in 137 games played.
Though Buehler, Smith, May and Thompson are set with deals for the 2023 season, the Dodgers still have six arbitration-eligible players in Julio Urias, Evan Pillips, Tony Gonsolin, Brusdar Graterol, Yency Almonte and Caleb Ferguson.
The Dodgers are coming off of a 111-win season, the most victories in franchise history, that saw them bow out in the first round of the postseason to the division-rival San Diego Padres.
With one of the most talented rosters in the big leagues, a 100-win season and a World Series title will once again be the expectation in Hollywood.
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