Darwin Barney and A.J. Ellis Could Be Non-Tendered

The 8:59 p.m. PT tender deadline on Tuesday night is approaching, and the Dodgers have some decisions to make.

Kenley Jansen, Dee Gordon and Justin Turner are arbitration-eligible, and they are almost certainly going to be tendered contracts with the Dodgers.

Gordon, an All-Star in 2014, had a breakout season after shifting to second base last winter. He stole a Major League best 64 bases, and he certainly will be back at second base for the Dodgers in 2015 unless he is involved in a trade.

Kenley Jansen has become one of the elite closers of the league. The 27-year old saved a career high 44 games for the Dodgers in 2014 and struck out 101 batters in just 65 1/3 innings.

Justin Turner, the non-roster invite turned fan favorite, really had a stellar season for the Dodgers. Turner hit .340/.404/.493 in 109 games, and the personable red head gave the Dodgers a honest to goodness pinch hitter off the bench.

Kenley should be getting a raise from his $4.3 million he earned last season. Dee Gordon could get the biggest raise since he only brought in $515,000 in his fourth season with the Dodgers. Turner could also see a pay bump from his $1.175 million that he made last season, and I say that a good bench piece and utility guy like Turner is worth the cash.

Juan Nicasio was acquired from the Dodgers recently once Colorado designated him for assignment, and I don’t see why the Dodgers would pick him up and not

The Dodgers will need to come to an agreement with A.J. Ellis by Tuesday night. Photo: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

offer him a contract. Nicasio made $2.025 million last year.

A.J. Ellis is coming off his worst offensive season, and it is a possibility that the catcher could be non-tendered by the Dodgers. Ellis made $3.55 million in 2014, but he hit just .191 over 93 games behind the plate. Ellis did catch fire in the NLDS when he hit .538 in the series. While I would rather the Dodgers upgrade at catcher this offseason, I see it unlikely that the Dodgers and Ellis won’t reach an agreement ahead of the deadline. Clayton Kershaw wants Ellis back, and so Ellis will be back.

Drew Butera could also be non-tendered, but like Ellis it seems like with the thin catching depth he would be brought back. Butera is out of options as is Tim Federowicz interestingly. If Butera is non-tendered, it would mean that FedEx would catch a lot more in 2015 with the Dodgers should they not acquire a catcher via free agency or trade this offseason. Butera made $800,000 last year.

Darwin Barney seems to be the most likely candidate to be non-tendered. Barney made $2.3 million last season. He did play well for the Dodgers in 22 games post trade, and Barney is a Gold Glove second baseman. With a front office that values defense, it will be interesting if they invest in someone like Barney who doesn’t necessarily have a permanent spot in the infield unless they plan to play him at shortstop.

Who will stay and who could potentially go? We will keep you updated with all the tender deadline decisions.