The Dodgers have signed right-hander Dinelson Lamet to a minor league deal, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post (via X). The 31-year-old Lamet also receives an invitation to the Dodgers’ big league spring camp.
Lamet has spent almost his entire career in the NL West, apart from a couple of months (and a single MLB game) in the Red Sox organization last season, and an even briefer four-day stint with the Brewers without any appearances at any level in 2022, as Milwaukee quickly designated Lamet for assignment after acquiring him as part of the Josh Hader trade.
It has been an unfortunately quick drop from Cy Young Award contender to borderline journeyman status for Lamet, who has been plagued by injuries since his seeming breakout year with the Padres in 2020. Since Opening Day 2021, however, Lamet has amassed only 107 total innings in the big leagues, while posting an ungainly 6.88 ERA. Lamet pitched decently well for the Rockies during the remainder of the 2022 season after Colorado claimed him off waivers from Milwaukee, but that limited success didn’t at all carry over to this past season, as Lamet had an 11.71 ERA over his 16 appearances with the Rockies and one game with the Red Sox.
As much as Lamet has struggled over the last few years, Padres and Rockies fans are undoubtedly fearful that a career revival could take place in Los Angeles, given how the Dodgers have scored on a number of reclamation projects in recent years. There’s no risk for the Dodgers in seeing what Lamet can do during Spring Training, and whether or not he can stay healthy and recapture any of his early-career form.
Enough already Dodgers!
Uncle!
C’mon. There has to be a tshirt out there that says deferred in the Dodgers script. If not, one of you can take the idea and run with it but as soon as I hit the post comment button it’s on record where you got the idea.
Yup, Dodgers are ruining baseball with all of these minor league signings.
Mary Hart ruined the Dodgers.
Dodgers just doing what the Pads should be doing.
There’s a physical store in Chicago and a website called obvious shirts. And you can now custom your own t-shirts. The owner is a Cubs fan but it’s not limited to baseball or the Cubs. So a shirt that says “Dodgers defer all their contracts” or something like that. It would be perfect.
This guy is basically Shelby Miller. He capitalized his whole career off one good season. Hes just not good
Coincidentally, the Dodgers just turned Shelby Miller into a good middle reliever last year!
Yeah, it seems LFGMets is choosing not to accept reality of the last year or two…
Comparisons to Shelby Miller aside, the point that Lamet isn’t good is valid.. He was good in the short 2020 season, but since then he has an ERA+ of 64.
And then bailed on him when he showed some promise. So go figure!
If memory serves, his repertoire was 2 + pitches but not much else (even when he was a CY young candidate).
Maybe Lamet turns into a dominant reliever with LAD. Stranger things have happened.
Hes got a 3rd pitch called a home run
He was really really good in 2020. Dodgers in particular could do nothing against him. Padres were set up very well before they lost him and Clevinger late in the season. I look forward to seeing if he can regain anything. And if not, oh well, I’m sure we can find more…
And Dinelson Lamet wins the NL Cy Young. Uggghhh. But the Dodgers still don’t make the World Series!
If Lamet is healthy, he’s good. There was always a question between whether he had the stuff to be a starter, or was better fit to be a backend reliever or elite closer. He could do either, if he was healthy.
He has never been healthy.
Can you be a journey man pitcher if you really don’t pitch?
Would be nice if a team that really needs him could sign him. He’d probably be 12th choice for 5th starter with the Dodgers.
Dodgers will still run into the September blues…
@holycow….So, is your audacious prediction that the Dodgers will struggle in the last full month of the regular season?
Lol ur name just cracked me up
It’s hard to master the skill of health into your 30’s. If Lamet has some semblance of health, this dopey low risk signing by the Dodgers could turn out to be decent. He did get the all-important invite to Spring Training after all. Lamet was pretty good during the Covid season of 2020: a 2.09/0.86 ERA/WHIP, 39 HA, and a 93/20 K/BB in 69 IP.
Yes, great in 2020… before he blew out his arm and tried to heal with PRP injections instead of surgery. He’s probably still toast, but kicking the tires cost the Dodgers a bag of peanuts.
Yes I thought it was strange going to PRP route and we can see what happened.
Just a personal theory, but Dinelson seemed “apprehensive” about surgery. His choice, of course!
Going to be tough to watch him mow through Tatis, Machado, Boegarts to shutdown a Friar rally in the 6th…
Not criticizing the Dodgers since this has zero risk involved, but any expectations that he’s going to be even league average should be tempered. He posted 3 consecutive bad to horrible seasons. The Pads let him go when they couldn’t fix him, and neither could the Rockies or the Red Sox. The Dodgers have a talented coaching staff, but expecting them to return him to what he was 4 years ago is expecting miracles.
The concept of a zero risk decision doesn’t really exist. Nobody can do everything, so a decision made to do one thing means choosing to not do another thing. So low risk, yes. Zero risk, no.
Speaking of which, Lamet has a non-zero chance of making the roster.
Point taken. So instead, I’ll amend my post to very low risk.
But a non-zero chance could be anything from extremely low to an excellent one. I doubt you intended to say he has even a good chance of making the roster.
By which I mean an extreme long shot. The vast majority of spring training invites end up returning free agency.
If any team other than LA made this move there would be zero criticism. Stop hating on LA and put your energy into your own team.
I can’t help but feel for guys like this; it must be an awful, helpless feeling to have the one thing that’s structured your life and suggested a bright future slip slowly through your hands like fine dry sand. And the failures of a pitcher are so nakedly exposed, more than any single player on any other team sport. Absolutely alone in the middle of the diamond and everybody waiting for & watching you.
Some other positions come to mind as well though…the goalie in soccer, the quarterback in football…
100% he’ll be an all star again
This years Brais???