Things Are About to Heat Up for Dodgers

As most Dodger fans know, Wednesday, December 2, 2020, is the deadline for teams to offer their pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players contracts for the 2021 season. They do not have to sign them on that date, but they do have to offer them a contract. If they do not, the players are considered “non-tendered” and immediately become free agents.

Although the 2020 World Series Champion Dodgers have several key arbitration-eligible players who are ‘untouchable’ (if there is such a thing in today’s game): guys named Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, Corey Seager, Julio Urías, and to a lesser but still significant extent Austin Barnes, all of whom avoided arbitration in 2020 with one-year contracts; there are two guys whose future in Dodger Blue is far from guaranteed: 31-year-old left-hander Scott Alexander and 29-year-old right-hander Dylan Floro; whose projected salaries in 2021 would be (around) $1 million in 2021, thus making them “affordable depth,” as Dodgers beat writer Ken Gurnick so eloquently put it.

In case you were wondering (and every Dodger fan worth their salt should be), Seager becomes a free agent in 2022, Barnes in 2023, Bellinger and Urías in 2024, and Buehler in 2025; so there’s that.

With Mookie Betts having locked down a 12-year / $365 million contract extension with the Dodgers on July 22, 2020, one can only imagine what Bellinger’s first free-agent contract is going to look like. That being said, the sooner, the better … and probably cheaper. (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

Of the two ‘touchables’ (so to speak), Alexander would seem to be the “more expendable” (Gurnick’s words), having spent most of the 2020 season at the Dodgers alternate training site following hand surgery in 2019. But here again, $1 million(ish) to keep the Santa Rosa, CA native and sixth-round draft pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2010 out of Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, CA in Dodger Blue would not be unreasonable in today’s (unreasonable) MLB salary environment.

In his three seasons in Los Angeles, Alexander owns a record of 7-3 and an ERA of 3.57 over the 114 games in which he appeared (one start) as a Dodger. He struck out 74 of the 396 batters he faced in his combined 95.2 innings pitched while walking 43.

Who can forget Alexander’s impossible (and lucky) behind-the-back grab of a hot grounder off the bat of former Dodger Dee Gordon on August 18, 2020, at Dodger Stadium?
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

Floro, who has also been a Dodger for three seasons, has a record of 11-4 and an ERA of 3.10 in 15 relief appearances (no starts). He struck out 92 of the 411 batters he faced while walking 29 in his combined 98.2 innings pitched as a Dodger.

Although Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman has been extremely quiet since the Dodgers captured their first World Series title in 32 years, one has to believe that the Dodgers Hot Stove is about to ignite BIG time.

Stay tuned…

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12 Responses to “Things Are About to Heat Up for Dodgers”

  1. Drew Nelson says:

    Depth has been a hallmark of recent LA teams. Unless Friedman has plans for major bullpen upgrades, it’s hard to imagine either Floro or Alexander being non-tendered. Heck, even if LA signed 2 of Hendricks, Hand, T.May, Treinen or Baez, it still might make sense to bring Floro and Alexander back. Lots of money off the books after 2021 with Joe and Kenley, Kershaw and Taylor’s contracts up. With the weird economics with the pandemic crushing revenues and increasing the supply of relievers (at the December 2nd non-tender day especially), it might make for a chance to get some bargains on upgrades.

  2. Melinda Swihart says:

    Please Do Not re-sign -Kelly , Baez , Jansen . You should Not have given Robert’s another four years! OPEN YOUR EYES ! He uses his heart INSTEAD OF HIS MIND in certain situations! I will Not be a Dodger fan anymore until you get a better manager ! Thank you!

    • Greg says:

      We better off without Melinda, some people will never be happy.

      • Bc says:

        Melinda is out of touch with reality. Regarding the manager. Ask anyone who played ball for 20 years or more A manager only has the personnel he is given He has been great with keeping players all on the same page and pulling together. Robert’s is a players manager just ask anyone who has played this game

    • Andrew says:

      I agree with not resigning any of those useless bums that call themselves relief pitchers. But come on, Dave Roberts? The man is awesome. The perfect personality for Los Angeles, not to mention the tremendous success he’s had as a manager. Which now included a WS. In case you weren’t aware. He’s a top 5 manager in MLB.

    • Mary Edmonson says:

      Fine. We don’t need you sweetie! Dave’s intuition to keep Urias in the game helped take us to the championship. And I’m sure he knew that another loss would mean his job. So go root for Angels from Anaheim. Or would you prefer the cheaters from Houston.

    • David B says:

      It’s obvious you know zero about baseball or you’re just crazy.

    • Ron Cervenka says:

      One word:

      “We Are the Champions!”

      (Ok, four words).

    • michael georgariou says:

      roberts is a great manager…get of the kool aid

  3. Mike T says:

    Melinda is spot on . I don’t have say more.

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