Nine members of the 2017 Dodgers will be getting a phone call today … if they haven’t already, that is.

Messrs. Yasmani Grandal, Alex Wood, Luis Avilan, Josh Fields, Tony Cingrani, Kiké Hernandez, Yimi Garcia, Pedro Baez and Joc Pederson are all arbitration-eligible Dodgers for the 2018 season and must be notified by the 5 p.m. PT deadline of the Dodgers intention to offer them contracts or not.

Per an agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), arbitration-eligible players who are tendered contracts can continue to negotiate with their current respective clubs. If a settlement is not is reached, their salaries for the upcoming season will be determined through the arbitration process. Players who are not tendered a contract immediately become unrestricted free agents and can sign with any other team that wants them.

Of the nine arbitration-eligible Dodgers, it is speculated that all will be tendered contracts. The one question mark is 29-year-old catcher Yasmani Grandal, although even he will likely be tendered a contract and then possibly put on the trading block.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Regardless of what the Dodgers’ Nine made in 2017, they would, in all likelihood, receive a pay raise for the 2018 season. Here is what each was paid in 2017:

• Yasmani Grandal – $5.5 million
• Alex Wood – $2.8 million
• Luis Avilan – $1.5 million
• Josh Fields – $1.05 million
• Tony Cingrani – $618,306
• Kiké Hernandez – $555,000
• Yimi Garcia – $550,000
• Pedro Baez – $550,000
• Joc Pederson – $502,442

It is believed that the Dodgers will tender contracts to all nine, however there has been some speculation that Grandal may be tendered a contract somewhere in the $7 to $8 million range and then immediately shopped around in a potential trade deal, perhaps even one that includes 2017 NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton has made it abundantly clear that he would love to play for the Dodgers, the team he grew up rooting for.

The problem is that whoever makes a legitimate trade offer for the Panorama City, California native will have to absorb nearly all of the remaining salary on his 13-year / $325 million contract that runs through 2027 with an option for 2028. Additionally, Stanton has a very specific no-trade clause in his contract that allows him to veto a trade to teams that he does not want to play for. The Dodgers. however, are obviously not among them.

Chances are we will know if any or all of the nine arbitration-eligible Dodgers have been tendered contracts before today’s deadline.

Stay tuned…

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UPDATED December 1, 2017 at 6 p.m. PT

The Dodgers have indeed tendered contracts to all nine of their arbitration-eligible players, including Yasmani Grandal.