LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers agreed to terms Friday with their three biggest arbitration-eligible players, finalizing deals with Julio Urías, Walker Buehler and Will Smith in order to avoid arbitration hearings with each, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
The team also settled with Trayce Thompson and Dustin May, and still has five other arbitration-eligible players remaining — Evan Phillips, Tony Gonsolin, Brusdar Graterol, Yency Almonte and Caleb Ferguson.
According to people with knowledge of the situation unauthorized to speak publicly, Urías and the Dodgers settled at $14.25 million for next season, Buehler and the team settled at $8.025 million, Smith settled at $5.25 million and Thompson settled at $1.45 million.
May settled at $1.675 million, according to his agent Craig Rose of Paragon Sports.
Urías earned the biggest 2023 salary as the Dodgers’ only player entering his final season of arbitration eligibility. The Cy Young Award finalist will now be the team’s fifth-highest-paid player this year, his last before becoming a free agent next winter.
The deals came before Friday’s deadline for clubs and arbitration-eligible players to exchange figures for the next season.
Players who don’t come to an agreement with their team by Friday could head to an arbitration hearing next month to determine their 2023 salary, though deals to avoid such hearings can still be struck before then.
Since 2007, the Dodgers have only had arbitration hearings with two players.
