Dodgers News: 2 LA Stars Earn Salary Bump Thanks to New Rule

Will Smith and Tony Gonsolin earn bonuses thanks to Pre-Arbitration Pool Program

Last season, Major League Baseball and its MLB Player Association were in a lockout, and the 2022 season was hanging in the balance. 

Ultimately, the league and its players agreed to a new deal in March 2022, and one of the perks in the new CBA agreement was a "pre-arbitration bonus pool." The pool is worth $50 million that will be divided evenly by all of the 30 teams in the league.

100 players received bonuses as part of the new deal, and two Dodgers were rewarded with some hard-earned money. 

Catcher Will Smith and Dodgers righty Tony Gonsolin are the two Dodgers to receive the pre-arbitration bonus pool. According to MLB.com Mark Feinsand, Smith received $1 million, as did ten other players (11 in total), and Gonsolin received at least $500,000 along with ten different players. 

The breakdown of the payouts is distributed based on Awards voting and based on a new MLB/MLBPA jointly created version of wins above replacement (WAR). 

The way they dictate who earns money or not is a bit complicated, but the most straightforward way to put it is the voting for the Cy Young award, Rookie of the Year, MVP, and All-MLB Team honors. 

Three players received somewhat over $2 million; those players are Dylan Cease ($2,457,426), Yordan Alvarez ($2,381,143), and Alek Manoah ($2,191,023). 

Eight players received a little over $1 million, including AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez. 

Will Smith cashed in due to placing in year-end awards. Smith headlined the All-MLB Second Team along with his teammate and NL CY Young finalist Julio Urias. Smith had a heck of a 2022 season, slashing .260/.343/.465 while bombing 24 home runs and a career-high 87 RBIs. 

Gonsolin had a tremendous 2022 season before injuries in the second half of the season spiled his NL Cy Young campaign and the Dodgers' chances at a championship. Gonsolin recorded a 2.14 ERA with a 16-1 record, 119 strikeouts, and a 0.87 WHIP in 130.1 innings pitched and 24 games started. 

Much deserved for these two Dodgers.