The Dodgers announced that they’ve claimed right-hander Brooks Brown off waivers from the Rockies. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, right-hander Jim Johnson has been designated for assignment.
Brown, 30, has spent parts of the past two seasons in the Majors with the Rockies, working to a 3.97 ERA with 6.3 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 53.8 percent ground-ball rate in 59 innings. Primarily a three-pitch pitcher, Brown complements a two-seam fastball that has averaged 93.6 mph in his career with a changeup and a slider, each of which clock in the mid 80s. The former D-Backs farmhand was selected 34th overall in the 2006 draft out of the University of Georgia but has struggled for much of his minor league career, working to a 4.31 ERA overall and a 4.76 ERA at the Triple-A level.
Johnson, of course, led the American League in saves while closing for the Orioles from 2012-13, but he faltered upon being traded to the Athletics in the 2013-14 offseason. After signing a one-year deal with the Braves this offseason, Johnson looked to have rediscovered his form in Atlanta, notching a 2.24 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a huge 60.8 percent ground-ball rate. However, Johnson imploded upon being sent to the Dodgers in a 13-player trade on July 30, as he’d go on to yield 21 earned runs in 18 2/3 innings with the Dodgers.
Because he was a free agent at season’s end and not on the postseason roster, Johnson’s DFA boils down to nothing more than a procedural move; he’d have come off the 40-man roster upon conclusion of the postseason anyhow, so the Dodgers simply accelerated the timeline of his departure.
maybe the braves should resign johnson since he actually had success as an 8th inning set up man for the braves.
They should sign him just to stick it to LAD.
My favorite game with brown was when he played against the phillies. Came in with bases loaded and struck out the side. Will miss him as a rockie
And so ends today’s Alliterative Acquisition Anthology….
There should be a chart on the Dodgers moves this year…. Would love to know the following…
Total number of players acquired through trade, FA signing or waiver claims
Total number of players removed from organization in same methods
Total number of players acquired this season and subsequently moved again… Example claimed on waivers in June and waived and lost in July.
Does anyone know the total WAR for the players acquired by this administration and the total WAR by players still on the Dodgers roster acquired by Ned Colletti and co? It would be interesting to see those numbers side by side.
That would probably be a little unfair (and meaningless honestly) considering how long Colletti had to acquire players in comparison to this administration and the fact that the core of the team and the vast majority of the minor league players coming up are still players friedman and co inherited. That might actually be a point on friedman’s side if colletti’s guys had a high WAR since it shows he knew who to keep. either way it wouldn’t prove anything
Ned did a good job considering what he had to deal with during the prior regime and the mandate from the Walter crew to “go for it”. The Friedman era is off to a less auspicious start, but this offseason’s reboot will at least be interesting. It can’t be all data-based. Gotta trust your baseball people too.