Dodgers News: After Stuggles in ’24 & ’25, James Outman Shipped to Minnesota
LOS ANGELES, CA—While the Los Angeles Dodgers looked for additional reinforcements to their bullpen, they would find a match with the Minnesota Twins and a familiar name, trading for right-hander Brock Stewart.
Stewart was the first significant move Los Angeles made on trade deadline day this morning, but the announcement was held up due to a medical issue, according to The Athletic.
However, after the move was finally agreed upon and the medicals were clear, the trade was officially announced, and so too was the return to the Twins, with left-handed hitting outfielder James Outman heading to the Twin Cities.
It would bring an end to Outman’s Dodgers tenure and a sense of lost potential, as the last two seasons had not gone as he or the Dodgers had hoped.
Outman, 28, finished top-three in National League Rookie of the Year voting during the 2023 season, becoming the team’s primary center fielder after the departure of former fan-favorite Cody Bellinger, who was DFA’d by the club that winter.
The left-handed power hitter would showcase his talent with a .248/.353/.437 slash line and a .790 OPS along with twenty-three home runs and seventy RBIs during his rookie season.
However, after a dropped catch in Game One of the 2023 National League Division Series, the world would come crashing down for James.
Over the last two seasons combined, Outman has been one of the worst hitters in baseball, batting .136 with a .514 OPS, six home runs, and just fifteen RBIs, resulting in a -0.7 bWAR.
This season was the tipping point for Los Angeles, as despite hitting at an elite level for the Triple-A OKC Comets (.970 OPS, twenty home runs, twenty doubles), he could not put it together at the Major League level.
Now Outman will have a fresh start with the Twins, who, despite trading ten players of their twenty-six-man roster, will start with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints.
The Dodgers, in return, will get a right-handed arm for their bullpen in Brock Stewart without giving up any prospects in a seller’s market.
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
