LOS ANGELES — Dodgers star Cody Bellinger agreed to a $16.1 million, one-year contract Friday with the World Series champions that avoided salary arbitration.
Los Angeles also agreed to one-year deals with shortstop Corey Seager for $13.75 million and left-hander Julio Urias for $3.6 million.
Bellinger, an outfielder and first baseman, was the 2019 NL MVP and 2017 NL Rookie of the Year. He hit a career-low .239 with 12 homers and 30 RBIs in the shortened season, down from a .305 average with 47 homers and 115 RBIs, all career bests.
He slumped to a .136 average (3 for 22) with one homer and three RBIs in the World Series against Tampa Bay as the Dodgers won their first title since 1988.
A two-time-All Star, Bellinger earned $4,259,259 in prorated pay last year from an $11.5 million salary. He is eligible for free agency after the 2023 season.
Seager won MVP honours in the NL Championship Series and World Series, batting .400 with two homers and five RBIs in the Dodgers' six-game defeat of the Rays. He hit .307 with 15 home runs and 41 RBIs during the shortened regular season.
The 26-year-old is in his third year of arbitration eligibility and can file for free agency next off-season. He made $2,814,815 in 2020, prorated out of his $7.6 million salary.
Urias put early-career health woes behind him and became a full-fledged member of LA's rotation in 2020 for the first time, going 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 games, 10 starts. He made two starts and six appearances in the post-season and went 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA, including a save in the clinching Game 6 of the World Series.
This was the 24-year-old's first season of arbitration eligibility. Urias was set to earn $1 million last season and earned $370,370 in prorated pay.
