Drew Butera Retires
Drew Butera has made the leap from the roster to the coaching staff, as Sam Blum of The Athletic reports that Butera will now act as the bullpen catcher for the Angels.
Butera was selected by the Mets in the fifth round of the 2005 draft but was traded before making it to the big leagues. In 2007, he was sent to the Twins as part of the deal for second baseman Luis Castillo. Butera went on to make his MLB debut as a Twin in 2010 and played parts of four seasons in Minnesota. Although he didn’t hit much in that time, he did rack up one significant career highlight in that stretch, as he caught Francisco Liriano‘s 2011 no-hitter.
He was traded to the Dodgers at the deadline in 2013 and spent a season and a half there, catching a second no-hitter, this time with Josh Beckett in 2014. After that season, he was traded across town to the Angels, playing just ten games for them in 2015 before being traded to the Royals. This proved to be an extremely fortuitous deal for Butera, as Kansas City would go on to win the World Series that fall. In the final game of the series, the club’s starting catcher, Salvador Perez, was removed for a pinch runner, which led to Butera catching the final strike as Wade Davis struck out Wilmer Flores to clinch the title.
The following year was probably Butera’s best, at least at the plate. He hit .285/.328/.480 for a wRC+ of 115 in 56 games, a showing that earned him a two-year, $3.8MM deal to stay in KC. He was traded to the Rockies in the second year of that deal and then spent the next few seasons there, with a brief interlude in the Phillies organization for Spring Training 2019. Last year, he got into 12 games with the Angels, the team with which he will now stay on in his new role.
Butera, 38, finishes his career having made 1,473 plate appearances in 556 MLB games over 12 seasons, racking up 262 hits, 59 doubles, 5 triples, 19 homers, 123 runs scored and 123 runs batted in. He caught the final out of a World Series and a pair of no-hitters. MLBTR congratulates Butera on a fine playing career and wishes him the best in his coaching career and any other post-playing ventures.
Tommy Davis Passes Away
The Orioles announced this morning that two-time MLB batting champion Tommy Davis has passed away. He was 83 years old.
Davis had a lengthy professional career, appearing in parts of 18 big league seasons. He broke in with a single game for the Dodgers in 1959, then finished fifth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting the following season. The right-handed hitting Davis would quickly go on to a lot of success in Los Angeles, particularly beginning with his age-23 campaign in 1962.
During that 1962 season, Davis hit .346/.374/.535 with a personal-best 27 home runs. He led the majors in batting average, hits (230) and RBI (153), helping the team to a 102-win season. Davis was selected to the All-Star game and finished third in that year’s NL MVP voting behind teammate Maury Wills and Willie Mays. He followed up that excellent showing with another batting title and All-Star appearance, hitting .326/.359/.457 en route to an eighth-place finish in MVP voting. Davis collected six hits in that year’s World Series, a four-game sweep over the Yankees.
Davis would stay in L.A. through 1966 before beginning a second act that saw him bounce around the league. He was traded to the Mets in advance of the 1967 campaign. After a season in Queens, New York flipped him to the White Sox. He played in Chicago in 1968, then split the following season between the Pilots and Astros. Davis played with Houston, the A’s and the Cubs in 1970 before returning to Oakland the year after. After a bounceback campaign that saw him hit .324 in half a season’s worth of playing time, Davis struggled with the Cubs and Orioles in 1972 but found a new gear in his mid-30s.
Working exclusively as a designated hitter from that point forth, Davis thrived. He posted back-to-back above-average offensive showings in Baltimore in 1973-74. He remained an Oriole through 1975 and suited up with two more teams — the Angels and Royals — before retiring after the ’76 campaign.
That Davis stuck around for so long and caught the attention of so many teams was a testament to his strong contact skills. He retired a career .294/.329/.405 hitter, having eclipsed more than 2,100 hits. The Brooklyn native tallied 272 doubles, 153 homers and drove in 1,052 runs and came just one game shy of 2,000 in the majors. MLBTR sends our condolences to Davis’ family, friends, former teammates and loved ones.
Dodgers, Dellin Betances Agree To Minor League Deal
The Dodgers are signing reliever Dellin Betances to a minor league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link). He’d lock in a $2.75MM base salary if he makes the major league roster, with an additional $500K available in incentives, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter).
Betances is coming off a difficult three-year stretch. He made just one appearance in 2019, his final season with the Yankees, on account of successive shoulder and Achilles injuries. Despite the lost season, the Mets signed him to a two-year deal the following winter. That proved an ill-fated investment, as Betances threw 11 2/3 innings of ten-run ball during his first season in Queens. The big right-hander made just one appearance last year before landing back on the shelf due to another shoulder issue. He underwent season-ending surgery in June.
That one outing wasn’t sufficient to vest a 2022 player option in Betances’ deal with the Mets, and he hit free agency at the end of the season. He’ll have to earn his way back to the majors, but it’s easy to understand why the Dodgers would take a risk-free dice roll to gauge his current form. At his best, Betances was one of the sport’s best late-inning weapons. Over a five-year stretch between 2014-18, he tossed no fewer than 59 2/3 innings per season and never allowed more than 3.08 earned runs per nine innings. He routinely fanned around 40% of opposing hitters during that run.
Betances sat north of 97 MPH on his heater at peak. During his lone appearance with the Mets last season, he averaged just 91.6 MPH. Clearly, the series of health woes had taken their toll on the 34-year-old, but he’ll try to recapture some of his peak form with a reset in a new organization. The Dodgers have taken a few shots on injured but talented arms in the bullpen mix, signing Tommy Kahnle, Danny Duffy and Jimmy Nelson in recent offseasons as well.
Jake Lamb, Kevin Pillar Will Open Season In Triple-A With Dodgers
The Dodgers reassigned several non-roster invitees to minor league camp today, including Jake Lamb, Kevin Pillar, Tony Wolters, Shane Greene, Reyes Moronta, Tomas Telis, Stefen Romero and Eddy Alvarez.
While many minor league deals for veterans contain out clauses if they don’t make the roster, Lamb will remain with the Dodgers, per MLB.com’s Juan Toribio (Twitter link). His minor league deal does have out clauses in both May and July, Toribio adds. Similarly, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya tweets that Pillar passed on his first opt-out opportunity (April 2) but has other opt-out chances later in the deal.
Lamb had a huge Spring Training, going 9-for-27 with a pair of homers and three doubles, but his bid to make the roster as a corner bat off the bench will come up a bit short, at least initially. Los Angeles is going with a short three-man bench to begin the season, deferring to a slate of 16 pitchers at least early on in the wake of an abbreviated Spring Training.
Pillar, meanwhile, signed a bit later and had just two hits in 18 plate appearances, albeit one of them being a home run. He, in particular, seems like a candidate to eventually get a look as a bench option for the Dodgers, who don’t look as though they’ll carry a traditional fourth outfielder alongside backup catcher Austin Barnes, utility infielder Hanser Alberto and infielder/outfielder Edwin Rios. The recent trade of AJ Pollock thinned out the outfield mix in L.A., likely leaving Rios and infielder Gavin Lux as the backup options to Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Chris Taylor across the outfield.
It’s not yet clear whether all of the players who were reassigned today will stick with the team and head to the minors, though it’s common this time of year to see veterans on non-roster deals return to the open market or, in some instances, be traded to another club that has a more clear opening for their services.
AL East Notes: Pearson, Borucki, Harvey, Judge, Meadows, Rays, Pollock
The Blue Jays are dealing with some injury concerns in their bullpen, as Nate Pearson is dealing with a non-COVID illness and Ryan Borucki left yesterday’s game with discomfort in his right hamstring. Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith (Twitter link) and other reporters that Borucki will undergo an MRI. More will be known about Borucki’s situation when the MRI results are in, but for Pearson, his illness has limited him to only two appearances thus far in Grapefruit League action.
In all likelihood, Pearson’s illness will keep him from making Toronto’s Opening Day roster. While this issue seems less serious than the other injuries that have sidelined the righty over the last two years, it represents yet another setback for the former top prospect. As for Borucki, the southpaw has been a pretty solid reliever when healthy, though he missed almost all of the 2019 season due to elbow problems and over two months of last season with a forearm strain. If another IL stint is required for Borucki, Tim Mayza will be the only left-hander in the Jays’ projected bullpen, which could open the door for Anthony Kay, Tayler Saucedo, or Andrew Vasquez to break camp.
More from around the division….
- The Orioles are considering re-signing Matt Harvey, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). Harvey struggled to a 6.27 ERA over 127 2/3 innings with Baltimore last season, a performance that didn’t lead to any publicly-known interest in his market this winter. Harvey’s situation is further clouded by the possibility of a suspension of at least 60 games. A new deal would surely take the form of a minor league contract, and if Harvey is suspended, he’ll need some extra time anyway to get ramped up to pitch.
- There doesn’t appear to be much new on the extension front between Aaron Judge and the Yankees, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the two sides aren’t close to an agreement. Judge has stated that he doesn’t want negotiations to continue after Opening Day, so it seems as though quite a bit of progress will have to be made over just five days’ time.
- Also from Rosenthal, he reports that the White Sox proposed a trade to the Rays that would’ve seen Austin Meadows head to Chicago in exchange for Craig Kimbrel. Though Tampa Bay has reportedly been discussing Meadows in other trade talks, the Rays turned down the Kimbrel offer, which isn’t a surprise considering that the closer’s $16MM salary for 2022 would’ve taken up an outsized portion of Tampa’s limited payroll.
- The White Sox ended up dealing Kimbrel to the Dodgers yesterday for another outfielder in AJ Pollock. Beyond Chicago’s talks with the Rays, there is another AL East connection to that swap, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that the Red Sox were one of the teams interested in Pollock. The right-handed hitting Pollock would’ve been a nice balance for Boston’s current corner outfield tandem of Alex Verdugo and Jackie Bradley Jr., both of whom swing from the left side. Beyond just a platoon split, Pollock would’ve been mostly an everyday option, but the Red Sox seem committed to Bradley getting more of a regular share of outfield duty even though Bradley is coming off a dreadful season at the plate.
Dodgers Trade AJ Pollock To White Sox For Craig Kimbrel
The Dodgers and White Sox are in agreement on a trade sending outfielder AJ Pollock to Chicago in exchange for reliever Craig Kimbrel, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). The two teams have since announced the trade.
It’s a fairly stunning blockbuster involving two high-profile and highly paid veterans. Pollock is earning $10MM this season and is owed at least a $5MM buyout on a $10MM player option for the 2023 season. Kimbrel, meanwhile, is slated to earn $16MM this coming season after the ChiSox picked up a 2022 club option despite a poor performance following the trade that sent him from Chicago’s north side to the south side last summer.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweets that there is no money changing hands in the deal, which means the Dodgers are effectively adding an extra million dollars in financial commitments (assuming Pollock declines his player option at a net $5MM and tests free agency next winter). The Dodgers will also see their luxury ledger tick upward a bit as a result of the trade. Pollock’s contract was a four-year, $55MM deal but counted as five years and $60MM for luxury tax purposes, as the player option on the end of the contract was considered guaranteed money. Thus, the contract carried a $12MM luxury hit. As Matt Gelb of The Athletic recently reported, the new CBA stipulates that a traded contract’s remaining actual dollars will count toward the luxury tax. As such, Kimbrel will now represent a $16MM luxury hit for the Dodgers (rather than the $14.5MM he’d have represented under previous rules).
Setting aside the financial component of the blockbuster swap, the trade fills a need for both teams. The Dodgers’ bullpen was lacking a shutdown option late in the game, and Kimbrel restored his credibility as a dynamic ninth-inning option through the first four months of the 2021 season while closing games for the Cubs. He’ll now join Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson and young flamethrower Brusdar Graterol at the back of the Los Angeles bullpen.
For much of the 2021 season, Kimbrel looked back to his vintage form. In 36 2/3 innings with the Cubs, the 33-year-old righty (34 in May) posted a microscopic 0.49 ERA while racking up 23 saves and 46.7% of his opponents against a 9.4% walk rate. Kimbrel deservingly made the All-Star team, and the three-year, $43MM contract he’d signed in 2019 went from albatross to trade asset in a matter of months. The White Sox, looking to push what was already a clear division winner over the hump, traded injured second baseman Nick Madrigal and right-hander Codi Heuer to the Cubs in a crosstown blockbuster.
Kimbrel pitched a shutdown inning in each of his first two appearances with the Sox, and though he was rocked for three runs in his third outing, it looked like a blip on the radar when he bounced back with three more scoreless appearances thereafter. However, the right-hander’s struggles increased in the coming weeks as reports that Kimbrel was uncomfortable pitching in a setup capacity behind Sox closer Liam Hendriks gained prominence. Ultimately, Kimbrel posted an ugly 5.09 ERA in 23 regular season frames with the Sox before being trounced for another three runs (two earned) in two ALDS innings.
Whether Kimbrel’s struggles were indeed tied to the role in which he was pitching or whether that was a more narrative-driven explanation, the Dodgers clearly feel confident that he can return to the high level of performance he displayed with the Cubs last year. If that’s indeed the case, a bullpen that recently lost Kenley Jansen to the Braves (for this same $16MM price tag) will prove one of the most formidable in the sport.
The trade of Pollock also opens up playing time in the outfield for Chris Taylor, who’d previously been deemed the team’s primary second baseman. With Pollock and left-handed-hitting Matt Beaty now gone via trade — Beaty went to the Padres earlier this week — there’s room for Taylor to take over as the primary left fielder and longtime top prospect Gavin Lux to get in everyday reps at second base. Of course, that assumes no further additions are coming for the Dodgers. It’s at least worth noting that L.A. just traded its left fielder and has a right-handed-heavy lineup at a time when former All-Star outfielder Michael Conforto and his left-handed bat are still looking for a landing spot.
Meanwhile, the White Sox have yet to address a glaring hole in right field all offseason. The closest the Sox had come to bolstering the right field position was a recent trade for the Phillies’ Adam Haseley, but the Sox announced that Haseley was optioned to Triple-A just minutes before word of today’s trade broke. Pollock will now step right into the outfield mix, giving the Sox a quality option to pair with center fielder Luis Robert and left fielder Eloy Jimenez. The Sox went much of the 2021 season with first basemen Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets masquerading as corner outfielders, so bringing Pollock into the fold will give them a true outfielder — and a solid defensive one at that.
Pollock, who turned 34 this offseason, will come to the White Sox fresh off a .297/.355/.536 showing in 117 games/422 plate appearances with the Dodgers this past season. Typically a better hitter against lefties than righties — though his career marks against right-handed pitchers are still well above average — Pollock posted a more even split last season and was immensely effective at the plate regardless of opponent handedness.
That said, Pollock also spent more than a month on the injured list with a pair of hamstring strains, one in each leg. That marked the fourth time in the past five seasons — the shortened 2020 campaign the lone exception — that he’s spent at least a month on the shelf with an injury. Pollock has also missed time with a fractured elbow that cost him 150 games in 2016, a groin strain (2017), a fractured thumb (2018) and elbow surgery (2019) in recent years. Pollock played in a career-high 157 games in 2015, but he’s averaged just 88 games per 162-game season since that time. Notably, he did play in 55 of 60 possible games during the shortened 2020 campaign, which shouldn’t be completely overlooked when weighing questions about his durability.
Even if Pollock does miss time this year, the Sox have their share of fill-in options. Veteran Adam Engel gives Chicago a defensively gifted right-handed bat who can play any of the three outfield positions. Neither Vaughn nor Sheets graded out well in terms of defense last year, but they at least got their feet wet in the outfield and could handle some corner work on a short-term basis. The aforementioned Haseley is an option to be called up at any point and at least provide quality defense and a passable bat against righties. Utilityman Leury Garcia, meanwhile, is an option all over the infield or the outfield. Second baseman Josh Harrison has his share of experience in the outfield corners as well.
As for the Chicago bullpen, the team’s offseason dealings have helped to build a strong relief corps that looks formidable even sans Kimbrel. The Sox signed veteran righties Kendall Graveman (three years, $24MM) and Joe Kelly (two years, $17MM) to multi-year deals this winter. Of course, the Sox are subtracting not only Kimbrel but also free-agent righty Ryan Tepera (who went to the Angels on a two-year deal) and lefty Garrett Crochet, whom GM Rick Hahn announced is likely to undergo Tommy John surgery just minutes after announcing the Kimbrel/Pollock deal. Hendriks, Graveman, Kelly and lefty Aaron Bummer still give the Sox a strong quartet at the end of games, but they’ll need a few in-house options to step up in the middle innings — assuming no further outside additions, of course.
Ultimately, the swap serves as the rare one-for-one, pure baseball trade that sees teams exchange a pair of veterans to address a need on either side. It’s a mostly cash-neutral swap that gives the Sox a new everyday outfielder, the Dodgers their new closer and sets the stage for both veteran to play pivotal roles for their new teams — both during the regular season and quite likely in the playoffs.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dodgers Trade Matt Beaty To Padres
The Padres have acquired first baseman/outfielder Matt Beaty from the Dodgers in exchange for minor league right-hander/infielder River Ryan, per a team announcement. The Padres announced Ryan, a two-way player in college, as a pitcher in their press release. The Dodgers initially announced him as an infielder, but Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets that they still plan to give Ryan opportunities on the mound.
To open space on the 40-man roster, San Diego placed left-hander Drew Pomeranz, who underwent forearm surgery last August, on the 60-day injured list. Beaty was designated for assignment by Los Angeles last week.
Beaty, 28, was a somewhat surprising DFA by the Dodgers, as he was fresh off a .270/.363/.402 showing in 234 plate appearances last season. While Beaty didn’t show substantial power (seven homers, four doubles, one triple, .132 ISO), he walked at a league-average clip, was plunked 10 times (thus driving up his OBP a bit) and made contact at an above-average rate. Beaty fanned in 18.8% of his plate appearances last year and has a career mark of 16.4% — well south of last year’s 22.6% league average (excluding pitchers).
The Padres have been on the hunt for outfield upgrades for much of the offseason but have also reportedly been hamstrung a bit by payroll concerns — a driving factor behind their reported efforts to trade Eric Hosmer and/or Wil Myers. It’s been a generally quiet winter for the Friars, who’ve added a bit to their bullpen (Robert Suarez, Luis Garcia) and signed Nick Martinez to a four-year deal that is laden with opt-out opportunities. Offensively, the lone addition of note thus far has been Luke Voit, whom the Padres acquired from the Yankees last week.
Beaty will give San Diego an option in left field, where utilityman Jurickson Profar had been among the leading candidates for playing time. Beaty can also spell Hosmer at first base or mix in at designated hitter if Voit is unavailable. In addition to his work at first and in the outfield corners, he’s spent a bit of time at third base, but defensive metrics aren’t especially bullish on him at any of the positions he’s played thus far in a small sample of innings. He also has a minor league option remaining, so the Padres don’t necessarily need to commit to keeping him on the big league roster all season.
Ryan, 23, was an 11th-round pick out UNC Pembroke just last season. Though he pitched to a 2.32 ERA with a 29.7% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk rate in 93 innings of bullpen work during his NCAA career, the Friars didn’t actually put him on the mound during last year’s pro debut. He spent a dozen games with the Padres’ Rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona Complex League and batted .308/.349/.436 with a homer, two doubles and four stolen bases in 43 plate appearances.
Quick Hits: Humidors, Dodgers, Nationals
Here’s an interesting wrinkle to the 2022 season: Every Major League ballpark will store their baseballs in a humidor this season, The Athletic’s Eno Sarris hears from Cubs’ announcer Jon Sciambi. Sarris adds thoughtful context to the news in a series of follow-up tweets, including the list of teams whose ballparks had already featured humidors (Rockies, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Mariners, Mets, Astros, Marlins, Cardinals, Rangers, and Blue Jays). Colorado and Arizona were the first to explore using humidors to keep baseballs from dying out in their low humidity environments. While you might associate humidors with lessening the buoyancy of the baseball because of these examples, in high humidity environments, the humidors will dry out baseballs, thereby, theoretically, adding distance to their relative trajectories.
Sarris notes that San Francisco, San Diego, Tampa Bay, and Miami are some of the parks that might see a small jolt to the baseball because of the humidors. It’s hard to know the full effect at this time, but it will be one of many factors worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses. Here are a couple of other things to keep an eye on as the season nears…
- The Dodgers don’t have a dedicated closer right now, though Blake Treinen’s name would be at the top of the list for manager Dave Roberts if the season began today, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). Treinen would certainly be capable, but the Dodgers may want to explore the benefits of not having a single, dedicated player locked into the ninth inning. Daniel Hudson can certainly manage the mental weight of closing games – he did lock down the final moments of a World Series win, after all. Brusdar Graterol might be another interesting arm to give some of those opportunities to, if he can get himself on track. On the whole, however, the Dodgers look to enter the season with a less experienced pen than in years past. Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly, and Corey Knebel departed for the Braves, White Sox, and Phillies, respectively, leaving Treinen as the natural choice to close games.
- The Nationals won’t have quite the same spotlight as the Dodgers, but they, too, need to figure out who will be collecting saves. If manager Dave Martinez has his way, it will be Tanner Rainey, but the 29-year-old is going to have to earn it, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. If Rainey can prove the consistency issues that have plagued him in the past are behind him, he should get his opportunity to close games. If he struggles, however, there’s suddenly a handful of distinguished vets to whom Martinez can turn, including his former closer, Sean Doolittle. Even beyond Doolittle, however, Steve Cishek, Tyler Clippard, Will Harris, and last year’s closer, Kyle Finnegan, would not be fazed by high-leverage opportunities.
Dodgers Sign Dave Roberts To Three-Year Extension
7:09pm: The team has officially announced the extension.
4;53pm: The Dodgers and manager Dave Roberts have agreed to a three-year extension, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (Twitter link). He is now under contract through 2025.
This has seemed like an inevitability for some time. Reports emerged during the lockout that the team and skipper were motivated to get a new deal done before the start of the regular season. Roberts had been headed into the final year of his contract, and teams can be hesitant to avoid entering the season with a manager in a lame-duck situation.
That’s not to say Roberts’ job ever looked to be in jeopardy, even before news of extension negotiations was made public. Los Angeles hired the former 10-year MLB veteran to replace Don Mattingly over the 2015-16 offseason. It was Roberts’ first managerial gig, perhaps a risky proposition for a team that had won the NL West in each of the previous three seasons under Mattingly.
Despite his lack of experience, Roberts has guided Los Angeles’ consistently talented rosters to plenty of success. They won the division in each of his first five seasons at the helm, getting past the Division Series in three of those years. The Dodgers won back-to-back pennants between 2017-18 but dropped successive World Series against the Astros and Red Sox, respectively.
Like any manager, Roberts came under some fire from the fanbase for some of his pitching decisions in the postseason. Throughout his tenure, though, the front office maintained confidence in both his leadership of the clubhouse and his bullpen management when the lights were brightest. Dodgers brass clearly never believed Roberts’ postseason management was fatal to their chances of winning a title, and they were proven right in 2020. After an incredible 43-17 record in the shortened regular season, the Dodgers stormed through the postseason to claim their first World Series since 1988. That was in spite of that year’s unique playoff format, which required all teams to advance through four rounds (instead of the customary three) thanks to an expanded field.
The stretch of division championships came to an end last year, although that wasn’t a reflection of any lack of team success. The 106-win Dodgers were narrowly edged out by a 107-win campaign from their archrivals in San Francisco. Nevertheless, they took down the Cardinals in the final NL Wild Card Game, then beat the Giants in the NLDS. Los Angeles lost to the Braves in the NLCS, but it marked another season as one of the league’s most successful teams overall.
Los Angeles has made the playoffs in all six seasons of Roberts’ tenure, the only team in MLB to do so. They’re 542-329 in regular season play in that time, winning more than 57% of their games. Roberts has certainly had the fortune of overseeing one of baseball’s most talented clubs on an annual basis, but there’s little questioning the organization’s run of success. The front office and ownership seem happy with his work behind-the-scenes, and he’s now slated to stick atop the dugout through 2025.
If Roberts remains Dodgers’ manager through the term of his new deal, he’ll reach a full decade in the position. Only three skippers — Hall of Famers Walter Alston, Tommy Lasorda and Wilbert Robinson — have reached the ten-year milestone in franchise history. That trio and another Hall of Famer, Leo Durocher, are the only skippers to lead the Dodgers to more wins than Roberts has in the past six years.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Dodgers Designate Matt Beaty For Assignment
5:56pm: Beaty actually has one option remaining, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic).
3:23pm: The Dodgers announced this afternoon they’ve designated corner infielder/outfielder Matt Beaty for assignment. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for Hanser Alberto, whose previously-reported one-year deal has been made official.
It’s a bit of a surprising move, as Beaty’s coming off an atypically good season for someone who now finds himself in DFA limbo. The left-handed hitter posted a .270/.363/.402 line with seven home runs in 234 plate appearances last year. He wasn’t a huge power threat, with just 12 extra-base hits and a .132 ISO (slugging minus batting average). Yet he made contact on an above-average 81.7% of his swings and drew walks at a roughly league average rate to post a quality batting average and on-base mark.
Beaty has tallied a bit less than one full season’s worth of playing time since debuting in the majors in 2019. He owns a .262/.333/.425 line in 556 career trips to the plate, overall offense that checks in a hair above par by measure of wRC+. He’s not regarded as a great defender anywhere on the diamond, but the 28-year-old has seen a fair bit of action at all four corner spots in L.A.
However, Beaty is out of minor league option years. The Dodgers had to choose between carrying him on the active roster all year or bumping him from the 40-man. They’ve taken the latter course of action. They’ll give the bench role to Alberto instead, seemingly prioritizing the greater defensive flexibility that comes along with him. Alberto isn’t as good a hitter as Beaty, but he’s a solid defensive second baseman who could be an option at shortstop in a pinch.
The Dodgers will have a week to trade Beaty or place him on waivers. Given his solid offensive track record in the big leagues, he could very well land with a team that’s not as deep as the Dodgers are on the position player side. Any acquiring team would also have to keep Beaty on the active roster or DFA him themselves, but it stands to reason he’d have a better chance of sticking as a bat-first utility option off the bench with another club.