Jan 11, 2019 3 min read

The Los Angeles Dodgers reacquired catcher Russell Martin on Friday in a trade with Toronto, days after Yasmani Grandal left for a deal with Milwaukee.

Los Angeles obtained the 35-year-old Canadian from the Blue Jays for minor leaguers Andrew Sopko, a right-hander, and Ronny Brito, an infielder. Toronto is sending cash to offset some of the $20 million Martin is owed in the final season of his contract.

A four-time All-Star, Martin was with the Dodgers from 2006-10 and helped lead Los Angeles to three playoff appearances. He signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent after the 2010 season and spent two seasons in the Bronx before playing two seasons with Pittsburgh and four with Toronto.

He started 71 games at catcher and 21 at third base last year, hitting .194 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs.

Martin was a 17th-round pick by the Dodgers in the 2002 amateur draft.

Two Pirates avoid arbitration: The Pittsburgh Pirates have avoided arbitration with outfielder Corey Dickerson and reliever Keone Kela, reaching one-year deals with both players.

The agreements came before Friday’s scheduled exchange of salary figures.

Dickerson’s deal for 2019 is worth $8.5 million, up from $5.95 million last season. The 29-year-old Dickerson earned the first Gold Glove of his career in 2018 for his lay in left field after being acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay. He hit .300 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs in 135 games. He also set a career-high with seven outfield assists.

Kela, 24, will receive $3,175,000, an increase from $1.2 million. The right-hander joined the Pirates in a deal at the trade deadline last July. He went 0-1 with a 2.93 ERA in 16 appearances for the Pirates but missed most of September as a precaution due to what the team considered Kela’s heavy workload. He pitched 52 innings in 2018, the highest since he threw 60 1/3 innings as a rookie in 2015.

Pittsburgh also announced it claimed right-handed pitcher Aaron Slegers off waivers from Minnesota. Slegers, 26, went 1-2 with a 5.90 ERA in eight career appearances for the Twins.

Betts, deGrom, get big-money deals: AL MVP Mookie Betts, NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom and major league home run champion Khris Davis reached high-priced one-year deals to avoid salary arbitration, while slugger Nolan Arenado and pitchers Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino and Aaron Nola failed to reach agreements and for now appeared headed to hearings.

Betts and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox agreed to a $20 million, one-year contract on Friday, a $9.5 million raise for an arbitration-eligible player that topped pitcher Max Scherzer’s $8.8 million raise from Detroit in 2014.

Betts’ record didn’t last the day, broken when deGrom and the New York Mets agreed at $17 million, a $9.6 million increase.

Davis and the Oakland Athletics reached a $16.5 million deal, a $6 million raise after he hit 48 home runs with a career-high 123 RBIs.

Arenado asked for a record $30 million in arbitration from Colorado and was offered $24 million. He will top the record for a salary for an arbitration-eligible player, a $23 million deal last year by Toronto and third baseman Josh Donaldson.