The Dodgers and right-hander Brusdar Graterol have avoided arbitration, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The righty will make $2.8MM this year, the same salary he made in 2025. He missed the entire season due to injury.
This isn’t an especially surprising result. The arb system generally sees player salaries rise each year. In cases where a player misses an entire season, their salary usually holds steady. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz therefore projected Graterol to make the same $2.8MM salary as he did in 2025, which has indeed come to pass.
By agreeing to the number now, the Dodgers will have a slightly shorter to-do list tomorrow. Thursday is the deadline for teams and players to file arbitration figures if they don’t come to an agreement. The Dodgers started the offseason with nine arbitration-eligible players but that’s now down to three for the deadline day tomorrow.
Tony Gonsolin and Michael Grove were designated for assignment and became free agents. Evan Phillips was non-tendered. Ben Rortvedt was claimed off waivers by the Reds. The Dodgers picked up a club option on Alex Vesia. With Graterol now settled, the Dodgers will have just Anthony Banda, Brock Stewart and Alex Call undetermined going into tomorrow.
2026 will be Graterol’s final season before he’s slated for free agency. He’ll be looking to bounce back after a couple of injury-marred seasons. He spent many years as a key setup arm for the Dodgers, with big velocity and huge ground ball rates. From 2020 to 2023, he posted a 2.69 earned run average over 173 2/3 innings. His four-seamer and sinker both averaged about 99 miles per hour. That oddly didn’t translate to many strikeouts, just an 18.9% clip, but he got grounders on a massive 62.5% of balls in play.
Shoulder problems and then a hamstring strain limited him to just seven appearances in 2024. He underwent surgery on that shoulder in November of that year. It was initially hoped that he could return in the second half of 2025 but that didn’t come to pass. Despite the injuries, he could go into free agency with good momentum since he won’t turn 28 years old until August, though he’ll obviously need much better health to boost his earning power.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images
Well, this is going to start a spree. Only a fraction of the Dodgers’ spending.
The Dodgers going to arbitration with anybody is funny. Like you bought the entire league and you’re not even done buying. What’s a couple extra bucks to keep your own players.
That would explain why it almost never happens. Last time the Dodgers had an arbitration hearing was for 2 players in 2020. Prior to that, the last hearing was in 2007.
Is that just higher level management/people skills? It’s been well documented how the arbitration process can lead to some players feeling sort of alienated by the org after the process.
Glad we’ll have Bazooka back. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the more effective shutdown relievers in MLB. Even if he’s better at getting grounders than strikeouts.
Try being like the Dodgers, Brian.
You’re the GM of the Yankees, Brian.
Instead of btching about other teams making moves, make moves for your team, Brian.
Yankees will do something, and apparently have made two offers to Bellinger. So there’s that.
Most teams rarely go to arbitration. It’s not just the Dodgers. For instance, at the start of last offseason there were 287 players eligible. Only 17 actually made it to arbitration.
He’s 6’1”, 265 pounds. Ridiculous. Oh wait, he got injured? Wow, totally unexpected. But he throws a hundred. But he throws a hundred. But he throws a hundred.
he can throw 100mph 8 times, then onto the DL for 6 weeks….seems legit, considering the $2.8m salary. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Forgot that Graterol was even still around. He had a nice year in 2023 and otherwise not much. Oh well, the money is nothing for the Dodgers.
He’s excellent when he’s right. Strong ground ball pitcher. And he can get strikeouts. And he has a chance to be low to middle leverage relief.
Where the Dodgers bullpen lands this season depends on Tanner Scott regaining his closer form.
He has about one of the hardest to hit high velo sinkers, and he brings energy on the mound.
His friction with Machado in 2020 playoffs makes him a forever favored pitcher to me.
I really appreciate that the Dodgers don’t put their players through the arbitration process. They’re smart with money, but only in who they spend it on and not pinching pennies. They don’t put their players through this process, and surely that’s by design.
The arbitration process is brutal for many players and organizations. It can do real damage to the relationship between sides.
I think one thing the Dodgers do that’s very underrated is their communication with players. Moving a player is almost never a surprise to the player. Sending a player down? They’ve talked about it and what they’re trying to achieve for the player and team.
You don’t hear about many Dodgers players complaining they weren’t treated right, and that has everything to do with proper communication. It might suck for some players who would get a longer runway on a less stacked team. But one of the reasons Edwin Diaz signed is a quote from his brother, who was only with the Dodgers for three months and released. “They treat every player the same.”
That holds weight with players. And doesn’t cost anything.
Bazooka ready to go boom!
dude is collecting rings though.
what surprises me is no team already taking a shot w Gonzo or Grove
Rortvedt sure earned his ring
hope Phillips makes his way back
I think it’s possible both pitchers come back and go on the 60 day injured list. No reason to have them in the 40 man clogging things up while the club is conducting off-season moves.