Dodgers pitcher Tony Gonsolin earned “Super Two” status, making him eligible for salary arbitration despite not yet having three years of service time.
Tony Gonsolin had the best year of his career for the Dodgers in 2022, but that’s not why he’ll be getting a big raise next year. In general, players spend their first three years making around the league minimum, not getting their first big paydays until they hit three years of service time and become eligible for salary arbitration.
But there’s one little loophole there: The top 22 percent of players between two and three years of service time get to jump into arbitration a year early, giving them four years of arbitration instead of the usual three. That status is informally known as “Super Two,” and this year’s cutoff mark for Super Two status is two years plus 128 days (generally marked as 2.128 years).
Gonsolin, at 2.152 years of service time, is one of three Dodgers to earn Super Two status. That means that instead of making about $750,000 next year, will likely make more than four times that amount. MLB Trade Rumors estimates Gonsolin’s salary in arbitration at $3.5 million.
This doesn’t come as a surprise to the Dodgers. Super Two status has been around for a long time, and while the exact cutoff line isn’t known until after the season, Gonsolin is far enough over the line that everyone in the organization knew he was heading for a big raise next year.
If he can pitch the way he did in 2022, when he was a Cy Young contender until a forearm strain cost him five weeks at the end of the season, it’s a raise the Dodgers will gladly pay.
