Cody Snavely
The position player and pitching groups have reported for the 2024 season in Arizona. However, Andrew Freidman and the Dodgers are not done making moves.
Per FanSided’s Robert Murray, the Dodgers have inked left-handed reliever Justin Wilson to a minor league deal.
Another toy in the reclamation bin?
Since taking control over the Dodgers in 2015, Andrew Friedman and company have always taken flyers on players who seem to be at low points in their careers.
We have all heard the stories of Chris Taylor, Max Muncy, Brandon Morrow, and countless others.
It is a method of success that has done wonders for the team, and one area in which the Dodgers can never have too much depth is pitching.
The Dodgers’ 26-man roster is mainly set, which will likely have a 13/13 split as the Dodgers go with a deeper rotation to help spread out innings.
However, the bullpen is an area with constant changes year after year. The team will look at Blake Treinen, JP Feyereisen, and Daniel Hudson to recover from their injuries. Now, they can add another name to that list.
Justin Wilson is a name many around baseball know, having career seasons with the Cubs and Mets. Although, injuries have plagued his career as of late.
Justin Wilson (36) last pitched in April of 2022. He underwent Tommy John Surgery and returned to the mound in July 2023, but suffered a left lat strain while warming up and missed the rest of the season.
In his career, the left-handed pitcher has posted a 3.41 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 120 ERA+, and 25.9 K%. In his brief appearance in 2022, he posted a 2.45 ERA, punching out seven.
Why the deal makes sense
For starters, the Dodgers do not have much to lose in this deal as it is a league minimum minor league deal.
The Dodgers also do not have to juggle through the 40-man roster to have Wilson get spring action, as he is just a minor league invite.
Wilson, a left-handed reliever, gives the Dodgers much-needed depth in that department.
As the roster stands, the Dodgers have only three lefties for their bullpen: Matt Gage, Alex Vesia, and Ryan Yarbrough.
Wilson gives the Dodgers another option to look at this spring in case anything goes sideways.
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