Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Will Smith will be back in LA next season.
The Dodgers catcher set a new MLB record for highest contract by a second-time eligible catcher, according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN:
“C Will Smith and the Dodgers settled at $8.55 million to avoid arbitration, per source. It’s a record for a second-time-eligible catcher.”
This is the second year of arbitration eligibility for the Dodgers catcher, who has four years, 90 days of major league service time. He earned $5.25 million in 2023.
Sean Murphy, who is in the same service time class as Smith, signed a six-year, $73 million contract with the Atlanta Braves last year that bought out his three arbitration years plus three years of free agency Murphy will earn $9 million in 2024 and earned $4 million last year, giving him $13 million over what would have been his first two arb years, while Smith got $13.8 million by going year to year.
Smith has been one of the best catchers in baseball since his debut in 2019. Since his Major League debut for the Dodgers in 2019, Smith’s 91 home runs are second-most by a catcher, trailing only Salvador Perez.
Smith made his first All-Star team in 2023, and hit .261/.359/.438 with 19 home runs, 21 doubles, and a 119 wRC+. Smith batted third for the first Los Angeles Dodgers team to score 900 runs in a season.
Said Smith after he was announced, “This moment just means a lot of hard work. This is always the dream as a young kid, to make an All-Star Game, so I’m just honored and ready to go.”
Now his focus turns toward helping the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series.
More must-reads: