The Los Angeles Dodgers and pitcher Walker Buehler avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year, $8 million deal plus incentives, multiple outlets reported on Thursday.
An arbitration hearing had been scheduled for Thursday for the 26-year-old right-hander, who can earn more than $12 million if he starts at least 28 games and wins the 2021 National League Cy Young Award.
Buehler was 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA in eight regular-season starts and 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five postseason starts for the 2020 World Series champions. In his last appearance, he struck out 10 in a 6-2 win against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the World Series.
Buehler was an All-Star in 2019, finishing with a 14-4 record, a 3.26 ERA and 215 strikeouts in 182 1/3 innings.
Per multiple outlets, Buehler gets a $2 million signing bonus. He also will receive base salaries of $2.75 million in 2021 and $3.25 million in 2022.
His 2022 salary can escalate to $6.25 million based on his number of starts in 2021, climbing by $500,000 for each milestone if he starts 14, 16, 18, 20, 24 or 28 games.
Buehler’s 2022 salary would also rise by $1.12 million if he wins the Cy Young this year, or by $625,000 if he places second or third in the voting.
A first-round pick in 2015, Buehler made his debut in 2017 and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2018.
–Field Level Media
