2:18 pm: Vanasco will make a salary of $900K in 2024, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group.
11:43 am: The Dodgers announced Thursday that they’ve re-signed right-hander Ricky Vanasco to a one-year, major league contract. He’d previously been outrighted and elected minor league free agency, but he’ll now return to the organization and secure a spot on the 40-man roster for the winter. Los Angeles now has 39 players on its 40-man roster.
The 25-year-old Vanasco has spent the vast majority of his career in the Rangers organization, but the Dodgers acquired him on June 1 after Texas had designated the former 15th-round pick for assignment. Once regarded as one of the more promising pitchers in the Rangers system, his career has been slowed by repeated health troubles. Vanasco posted an outstanding 1.81 ERA in 11 starts back in 2019 but didn’t pitch in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and spent significant time on the minor league injured list in 2023 as well.
When healthy, however, Vanasco pitched quite well in the Dodgers’ system. In fact, after being removed from the team’s 40-man roster, Vanasco logged 28 innings betweeen Double-A and Triple-A while pitching to a pristine 0.64 ERA with a 42-to-10 K/BB ratio (36.5% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate). That showing was apparently enough for the Dodgers to offer up a big league deal in order to keep him in the system.
Although he has not yet made his big league debut, Vanasco spent the past two seasons on the 40-man roster in Texas and Los Angeles, which required him to be optioned at the end of spring training. As such, he’s exhausted two option years already. He still has an option remaining, and given his minor league injury history it’s possible he could eventually qualify for a fourth option year. For now, he’ll head to spring training healthy and perhaps on the verge of finally making his big league debut.
Precursor to Ohtani?
Obviously!
Man we really love those injured relievers.
Does this mean he gets paid the minimum regardless of whether they outright him again, or would he get minor league money if not in big leagues?
It’s likely a split Major League deal, meaning it comes with separate salaries for time spent in the minors and time spent in the big leagues. But split MLB deals tend to carry nicer salaries at the AAA level — not close to the MLB minimum but a good bit higher than the AAA minimum.
Thanks!
Momentous news for the Dodgers. Very serious stuff. This guy is huge.
I keep seeing Ricky Nolasco
Rickyyyyyyyyyy
Ricky has the ticket!
It will be interesting to see how their NL West rivals respond to this move.
You mean after they stifle their yawns?
whoever is wheeling and dealing for the Dodgers is a moron, and that moron is Andrew Friendman, stunning us with top notch pickups.
ah the irony….
“Give ’em the heater, Ricky”
This is the type of move that worst case makes you say whatever, and best case makes you say why didn’t my GM pick up: Brandon Morrow, Evan Phillips, Shelby Miller, Ryan Brasier.
Exactly. For all the sarcastic responses to this signing, the Dodgers have done a great job with these kinds of signings and have managed to build elite bullpens year after year with these cheap hidden gem types.
By all means don’t count the duds.
Not against these type of signings and you can’t question Friedman’s ability to find hidden gems. But how much money have the Dodgers paid out to pitchers who (a) are injured for most of their contract term; (b) never even threw a pitch and received $ from the Dodgers. I’d think the lead MLB in these two categories going back to last 3-4 seasons.
Yes. Committing to Treinen and Hudson and less so Reyes and JP Feriesen. But, Ricky is getting basically only 120k over the MLB minimum!! Which is what you’d have to pay him in the MLB anyway. The issue of the 40-man. But again, if he’s injured or sucks and DFA’d whatever. (Also, Treinen may (I repeat may) work out – if he’s good this year he still only gets 1 million.
Please explain why you care about how much he is paid.
Panning for gold.
Can someone help me please, I’ve lost count.
How many Worlds Series championships have the Dodgers won during their elongated window with Friedman’s bargain hunting and Kasten’s complacency of, “oh well, we’re drawing 3.5 million + so, let’s not change a thing?
This is kind of player they are forced to target since most the the free agent money will go to Ohtani.
This is the kind of player they target every year.