Dodgers manager Dave Roberts provided reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) with updates on some injured players today, and the news wasn’t good in regards to right-handers Jimmy Nelson and Daniel Hudson. Nelson’s rehab assignment will have to be restarted after he was recently shut down due to some discomfort while throwing. Hudson is throwing as part of his recovery from a torn ACL last June, but Roberts said that Hudson’s knee hasn’t responded to the point that a rehab assignment could be planned.
Nelson hasn’t pitched since 2021, as a Tommy John surgery wiped out his entire 2022 season. The Dodgers declined their $1.1MM club option on Nelson back in November, but then re-signed him to a new deal that pays the righty $1.2MM in guaranteed money, plus quite a bit of extra bonus money based on how many starts, relief outings, or appearances of a certain length he might make in 2023.
However, there’s now fresh uncertainty over exactly whether or not Nelson might pitch at all this year, given both this setback and his lengthy injury history. Nelson began the season on the 15-day injured list since a shaky Spring Training performance indicated that he needed more time to fully ramp up, but he made just one minor league rehab outing (on April 25 with Triple-A Oklahoma City). A move to the 60-day IL would keep Nelson off the Dodgers’ active roster until the end of May, but since that might be an optimistic target date at this point, Los Angeles could indeed shift Nelson to the 60-day if the team needs to create space on the 40-man roster.
Hudson was moved to the 60-day IL himself in mid-April, though it was already expected that he’d need a lengthier recovery, especially since ankle tendinitis slowed his spring work. Given the severity of an ACL year, it isn’t necessarily unusual that Hudson’s knee still isn’t quite feeling 100 percent, though the lack of a rehab timeline at this point also isn’t a great sign.
The Dodgers took a calculated risk on a quicker recovery, making an early decision in late September on exercising their $6.5MM club option on Hudson’s services for 2023, and then working out an extension in the form of another club option (worth a minimum of $6.5MM) for 2024. While there’s still plenty of time left in the season for Hudson to return, the $6.5MM investment stands out for a team that initially seemed to be planning to duck under the luxury tax threshold last offseason, as there’s no guarantee that Hudson can regain his old form when he gets back onto the mound. Hudson looked excellent over 24 1/3 innings prior to his ACL tear, posting a 2.22 ERA with outstanding peripheral numbers.
More “studs” that the Dodgers bought I see… all they do is buy their team
Relief pitchers who’ve barely pitched in 2 years are not “studs.”
How can the rest of baseball keep up with the 1.2 million dollar signing of Jimmy Nelson?
You must be a Mets or Padres fan.
Fred, I don’t think Kewldoodie is a fan of any team. He’s got more whine than a liquor store and never talks ball in any positive manner.
@kewldoody
Too bad nobody took your education that seriously.
Clearly you guys don’t know what it means when a word is put in quotes.
You are confusing the Dodgers with the Padres!!
Let’s take a look at the Dodgers typical lineup today
1) Betts – acquired via trade
2) Freeman – acquired via free agency
3) Smith – Dodger farm system
4) Muncy – released by A’s
5) Martinez – acquired via free agency
6) Outman – Dodger farm system
7) Heyward – released by Cubs
8) Vargas – Dodger farm system
9) Rojas – acquired via trade
Urias – Dodger Farm System
Phillips – released by Rays
Graterol – acquired via trade
Ferguson – Dodger farm system
3 Trades
2 Free Agents
5 Farm System
3 non tendered from prior team
Compared to the Padres today:
Tatis – Farm System
Machado – Free Agent
Soto – Trade
Bogarts – Free agent
Cruz – Free agent
Cronenworth – Trade
Kim – International Free Agent
Nola – Trade
Engel- Free agent
Musgrove – Trade
Cosgrove – Farm System
Martinez – Free Agent
6 Free Agents
4 Trades
2 Farm System
Which team buys more guys? Which team has a higher team payroll?
Guys – I put “studs,” in quotes. It means the opposite of what you think. Also, Tatis was traded to the Padres from the White Sox for James Shields. You can’t even get that right.
Subtlety and accuracy don’t get you much around here.
Tatis was traded to SD from the Sox, but he was traded as a minor leaguer and went through every level of the Padre system, so he did have that correct.
Hands off Jimmy! Don’t touch Jimmy!!
Nelson has been paid millions not to pitch. Maybe that was the plan?
As if the Dodgers need more help. They’re gonna trade for someone even though they literally don’t need anyone to win a title at this point. They do buy their team, I guess the Padres and Mets do too, but the dodgers still have a major advantage over most clubs (I’m assuming they spend more on other things like scouts, player development, coaches, etc). In general it’s the same teams every year. Dodgers may not “buy everyone” but their real advantage is they can pay good veterans like JD and Heyward to be role players more than basically any team can pay them to be starters. Also, stop saying Kershaw is “homegrown.” At this point he’s been re-signed multiple times as a very high-priced free agent.
If they can’t get Hudson put back together they will actually need more help, most likely. The same bullpen that looks so good now was really awful through April because it leans heavily on combustible arms such as Almonte, Bickford, and Graterol. Vesia who was so valuable last year was so bad this year he’s been optioned.
And if you can’t call someone who’s been with the Dodgers since he was a teenager “home grown” then the term is completely meaningless. Which, it really is.
AF’s bullpen building strategy is baffling at times. But has proven to be successful as the Dodgers have one of the better bullpens the last few years.
His strategy is to throw a bunch of darts at the wall and hope one sticks.
It works!
Vesia, Phillips, Almonte, Miller, etc. all accquired this way,
Bruhil, Ferguson, and Gonzalez were brought from the farm, and Graterol was acquired in trade.
FWIW, Vesia (now in the minors) came over in trade for Dylan Floro, who has continued to be effective for Miami. Almonte was signed as a free agent. He’s never actually been more than marginally serviceable, and he still isn’t. Of this bunch Phillips looks like the dart that sticks, but the caveat on him is his performance over last couple of seasons is way above his career work. The downside of all this dart-throwing is you have let them pitch. The list of misses is at least as long as the hits.
If a 1.02 ERA in 35 innings in 2022 is “barely serviceable,” I’ll take it.
Floro, FWIW, was a dart-at-the-wall find as well.
And ignore his other five seasons. Got it.
Still loving yourself some Almonte?
No, I’m not ignoring his other 5 seasons, I’m mentioning is literal only other season with the Dodgers, in that year he would count as a “dart-at-the wall find.”
Evidently he isn’t there this year, which isn’t surprising given his other five seaosns.
Tatis was traded to SD from the Sox, but he was traded as a minor leaguer and went through every level of the Padre system, so he did have that correct.