#cody-bellinger

#cody-bellinger

That would ordinarily come with a $32.5MM average annual value that counts against the team's luxury tax ledger. In most cases, a contract's luxury tax number is taken by dividing the number of guaranteed years from the overall amount of guaranteed money - regardless of the salary distribution. Unlocked performance bonuses or option decisions can subsequently change the calculation, but the AAV is the starting point.

If the sides end up going to a trial, it would be one of the most impactful decisions ever made at the league's arbitration hearings. The current record for a pitcher's salary in arbitration is held by David Price and sits at just $19.75MM. A victory in this case for Skubal would utterly shatter that record, and it's not hard to see why he might deserve that sort of price tag given his incredible back-to-back Cy Young award winning seasons the past two years.

Much of the buzz surrounding the Phillies this winter has concerned their efforts to re-sign one or both or Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto. Since either of those free agents might well end up leaving Philadelphia for another team, the Phils have also been doing their due diligence on other major free agents or trade targets, including Tatsuya Imai and Ketel Marte.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a major decision to make surrounding All-Star third baseman Max Muncy. The 35-year-old slugger broke out of quite the slump during the first two months of the season and batted .258 with a .880 OPS and 17 home runs before he suffered an oblique strain in mid August. In other news, specifically for those who claim that the Dodgers are ruining baseball, Game 7 of the World Series hit historic television ratings across the United States, Canada, and Japan.