Roger Arrieta
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired infielder Sheldon Neuse and minor league pitcher Gus Varland from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for left-handed pitcher Adam Kolarek and minor league outfielder Cody Thomas.
Neuse, 26, spent the 2020 season at the Oakland Alternate site after hitting .250 (14-for-56) with three doubles in 2019 for the A’s. The infielder had a banner season with Triple-A Las Vegas prior to his promotion in 2019, hitting .317 (158-for-498) and clubbing 27 homers with 102 RBI in 126 games. In four minor league seasons, spanning five different levels, he has hit a combined .294 (460-for-1565) with 49 homers and 247 RBI. He was originally drafted in the second round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.
Varland, 24, is a combined 2-2 with a 1.54 ERA (11 ER/64.1 IP) and 77 strikeouts in 18 minor league games (15 starts). In his last full season in 2019, the Minnesota native went 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA (7 ER/26.1 IP) and 27 strikeouts in five games for Advanced-A Stockton. The right-handed pitcher was originally drafted by the A’s in the 14th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out Concordia University.
Kolarek, 32, made 20 appearances for the Dodgers in 2020, going 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA (2 ER/19.0 IP) and 13 strikeouts. He posted a 5-0 record with one save across 46 games and delivered a 0.88 ERA (3 ER/30.2 IP) in his Dodger career. In his four Major League seasons, he is a combined 11-3 with a 3.32 ERA.
Thomas, 26, spent part of the 2020 season at the Dodgers alternate site. In 2019, he clubbed a career-best 23 homers and recorded 76 RBI with Double-A Tulsa. In four minor league seasons, he has notched 81 homers and driven in 278 runs with a .255 batting average. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 13th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.
Press Release via Dodgers
