A sizable group of Dominican players will go through salary arbitration in Major League Baseball (MLB). More than 30 players will look to secure another year of big-league action at the salaries projected in MLB Trade Rumors’ report for the upcoming negotiation process. Jeremy Peña and Jhoan Duran are projected to earn the most, according to the estimates.

Compared with 2026, the number of players has increased. There were 26 Dominican players in the arbitration process last offseason, while 31 are projected to be eligible this time around. As in the previous offseason, Jeremy Peña and Jhoan Duran are projected to command the highest salaries, potentially reaching eight figures if the estimates published by MLB Trade Rumors hold up.

Matt Swartz is credited with developing the formula used to project players’ salaries each year as they enter arbitration. That is why MLB Trade Rumors has published these estimates for more than a decade. The projections are based on an analysis of players’ playing time, positions, roles within their organizations, and on-field performance.

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What Is MLB Salary Arbitration?

Salary arbitration is a negotiation between MLB teams and certain players to determine their annual salaries for the upcoming season. Only players who meet specific eligibility requirements can enter the process. Generally, they must have at least three years of Major League service time and must not have reached an agreement with their team for the following season. A player can go through this process up to three times.

The team and the player each submit a proposed salary. If they cannot reach an agreement, the case goes to an arbitration hearing, where an arbitrator determines the salary under the rules governing the process.

For 2027, the Houston Astros are projected to pay Dominican players the most, with a combined total exceeding $20 million. The Miami Marlins, New York Mets, and Pittsburgh Pirates, along with Houston, are projected to have three Dominican players each in arbitration, making them the teams with the most players from the country in the process.

Dominican Republic Leads the Way With 31 Players in Salary Arbitration

The following are the projected salaries for the 31 Dominican players expected to enter salary arbitration for the 2027 season, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

TOTAL: $105.1 million projected for the 2027 salary arbitration process.

Dominican MLB Players With the Highest Projected Salaries for 2027

Interestingly, Jeremy Peña of the Houston Astros and Jhoan Duran of the Philadelphia Phillies are again projected to be the Dominican players commanding the highest salaries for the upcoming MLB season. Both could earn eight-figure salaries for the first time. Peña’s projected $13.1 million and Duran’s $10.9 million would represent substantial increases over their 2026 earnings and place them among the most notable players entering their final year of salary arbitration.

In 2026, Camilo Doval secured the third-highest arbitration salary among Dominican players, earning $6.1 million. This time, however, both Doval and his previous standing have been surpassed by Elly De La Cruz, who is projected to earn significantly more than his previous career earnings through his first opportunity in the arbitration process.

A More Lucrative Year Than the Previous One

The 31 Dominican players, representing 19 MLB teams, are projected to earn more than $105 million combined if they avoid salary arbitration hearings and reach agreements with their respective organizations.

If the projections hold, the year-over-year increase would be substantial. In 2026, 18 Dominican big leaguers earned a combined $60.4 million through the arbitration process, according to the figures cited in the original report. The current projections would represent a significant increase in both the number of players involved and their combined salaries.

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