Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ mighty offseason of limitless spending has excited many fans for the upcoming 2024 season. However, one area they have not made many changes to was the bullpen.
However, that has changed as the team is close to re-signing Ryan Brasier to a two-year $9 million deal with a chance to reach $13 million in incentives.
Why Brasier reunion makes sense
Throughout the Winter, the Dodgers revamped their starting rotation and lineup. The next step to that puzzle was reinforcements in the bullpen.
Until now, The Dodgers have remained quiet in the pen, with their only major signing being Joe Kelly on a one-year $8 million deal.
Brasier, acquired from the Boston Red Sox after being DFA’d, was a superstar in Los Angeles. In the second half of 2023, Brasier pitched 38.2 innings with the team, only giving up three runs to close out his dominant Dodgers tenure.
The Dodgers have been linked to elite bullpen arms, specifically Josh Hader and Emmanuel Clase. So, it is unsurprising that the team decided to lock in a deal with Brasier before his market potentially heated up.
Brasier in Ferguson out
Prior to the reported re-signing of Brasier, the Dodgers made a trade to clear space on their 40-man roster. After the signings of James Paxton and Teoscar Hernández, the roster was full.
The Dodgers have decided to flip away multiple players from their bullpen this winter. Players Ryan Pepiot, Victor Gonzalez, and Caleb Ferguson have been shipped out.
This means the Dodgers now have only four left-handed pitchers on the roster: Alex Vesia, Ryan Yarbrough, James Paxton, and Matt Gage.
Ferguson had a respectable 2023 season, going 7-4 with a 3.43 ERA, 70 SO, and 127 ERA+. However, it was the walks that killed Ferguson, as his BB/9 in 2022 (4.4) and 2023 (3.4) were not good enough for a bullpen role.
Ferguson, who was out of minor league team options and entering his final year of arbitration, was shipped to the Yankees to rejoin former teammate Victor Gonzalez in their bullpen.
Dodgers return for Ferguson?
Similar to the Dodgers/Yankees trade that sent Victor Gonzalez to the Empire City, this swap brought back two minor league arms, LHP Matt Gage and RHP Christian Zazueta Jr.
Gage, 30, has a 1.83 career ERA in 16 MLB appearances. He debuted in 2022 with the Houston Astros and posted a 2.70 ERA in 6.2 innings for the Yankees this past season.
Last year, Zazueta Jr, 19, had a 3.29 ERA in the DSL. He appears to have a nice SL and a suitable CH to build around.
In the end, the Dodgers got two players for a pitcher who had no clear role on the roster and struggled mightily with walks the past two seasons. The re-signing of Brasier solidifies the backend of the bullpen, allowing Phillips to continue the closer role.
The Dodgers’ 40-man roster is full, so another corresponding move must be made. However, with the 60-day IL period opening on February 8th, they could delay the official announcement until then.
