Dodgers Face Tender Deadline Decisions

As the Thursday night deadline approaches to tender contracts to players under reserve, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a number of decisions to be made, most importantly involving catcher Russell Martin. The Dodgers have a number of players not yet eligible for free agency who will be eligible for salary arbitration. By Thursday night at 9 p.m. PST, the Dodgers must decide which players to whom they wish to tender contracts.

If a player is non-tendered, he immediately becomes a free agent. However, that does not preclude the club from re-signing said player. It just means there will be competition with the other 29 MLB teams. Tendering a contract to an arbitration-eligible player means the two sides will submit salary figures by January 18, and if the player and club can't agree on a deal, an arbitration hearing will be held to determine that player's 2011 salary. Arbitration is an either/or scenario; a panel of three will pick either the salary submitted by the player or the one submitted by the owner. But, most arbitration-eligible players never see the inside of an arbitration hearing, as deals are often agreed before a hearing is needed.

But, we are getting ahead of ourselves. Here are the players about whom the Dodgers must make a decision by Thursday night:

Already Gone

With the signing of Juan Uribe, Theriot was a prime candidate to non-tender, as he was in line for a likely raise to roughly $3.5 million or more. The Dodgers ttraded Theriot Tuesday to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Blake Hawksworth.

The No Doubters

Kuo, at the very least, will be the prime setup man for the Dodgers, if not the closer.

Billingsley joins Clayton Kershaw atop the Dodger starting rotation, which amazingly has been already set before the winter meetings.

Loney's production relative to his position is getting harder and harder to justify, especially as his salary rises, but it would be a shocker if the Dodgers didn't bring him back.

The Likely Non-Tenders

The Dodgers want Martin back, but likely not at $6 million or more. His offensive production has declined since the 2008 All-Star break, and is coming off a torn labrum in his hip, but relative to other available catchers is still quite a valuable asset. If Martin is tendered a contract, the maximum cut he can receive is 20%, meaning he would make at least $4.04 million in 2011 under that scenario. Look for the Dodgers to try to work out an incentive-laden deal, perhaps even a two-year contract, with Martin, but don't be surprised if the Dodgers non-tender him first.

Sherrill, the one-time closer who has now become a lefty specialist, will definitely be non-tendered, as the Dodgers won't want to give him anywhere close to $4.5 million or more after his 6.69 ERA in 2010. Sherrill is a candidate to be re-signed for a much smaller contract.

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