Walker Buehler, Dodgers Agree to 2-Year, $8M Contract to Avoid Arbitration

The defending champions reportedly will not be going to arbitration with starting pitcher Walker Buehler.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided that process by signing the right-hander to a two-year, $8 million contract that features a $2 million signing bonus, $2.75 million in salary in 2021 and $3.25 million in salary in 2022.

Buehler has been with the Dodgers his entire career and burst onto the scene in 2018 with a 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in 137.1 innings.

He followed that up with his first All-Star selection in 2019 and finished the year with a 3.26 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 215 strikeouts in 182.1 innings but dealt with some injury concerns in the shortened 2020 campaign and made just eight starts with a 3.44 ERA.

Still, he was brilliant in the postseason for the eventual champions and posted a 1.80 ERA in five playoff starts, one of which came in a World Series win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

It would not be surprising at all if Buehler uses his October efforts as a launching point into a strong 2021 season, especially since he is in the middle of his prime at 26 years old. Clayton Kershaw is a legend and the staff ace, but Buehler is talented enough to be considered a co-ace when pitching at his best.

Throw in the return of David Price and depth with Dustin May, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin, and the Dodgers were primed to challenge for another title behind a strong pitching staff even before they brought in reigning National League Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer this offseason.

A trio of Kershaw, Buehler and Bauer atop the rotation is downright unfair for the rest of the NL West, and Buehler will be a part of that group for multiple seasons after avoiding arbitration with this latest deal.