Steve Webb
Anderson, Dodson added to roster
LOS ANGELES — The deals are coming fast and furious as the Dodgers started their Cactus League season today. Andrew Friedman and new GM Brandon Gomes had a pair of deals finalized today, both of which will increase the Dodgers pitching depth. In two separate moves, the Dodgers signed free agent starter Tyler Anderson to a one-year deal and traded outfielder Luke Raley to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitching prospect Tanner Dodson.
Anderson a crafty lefty
The left-handed Anderson is the best-known commodity. A journeyman with a underwhelming velocity, but sneaky good control, Anderson has seen big league time with four different organizations in the past five years. His best season was with the Rockies in 2018 when he threw over 150 innings over 32 starts and notched a 4.55 ERA, which isn’t that bad considering he was pitching in the rarefied air of Coors field at the time. Though it will be tough for him to crack the rotation, he could eat up a lot of innings if one of the Dodgers’ big guns goes down (knock on wood) or just needs a blow.
Dodson figures to start in the minors
Tanner Dodson was drafted by the Rays in the second round in 2018 out of Cal, and had a 3.20 ERA in 37 games between High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery in 2021. The right-hander had 64 strikeouts (a 26.3-percent strikeout rate) and 23 walks in 56⅓ innings. He had Tommy John in 2019, and has spent all his time in the minor leagues since his recovery. The Rays have a knack for sniffing out talent in the draft, so if they thought highly enough of him to draft in the second round, the 25-year old Dodson might still have some upside to his game.
We say goodbye to Luke Raley though, which is a shame. Like DJ Peters last year, it is a shame to lose these outfield prospects, but with as crowded as things are out there for the Dodgers, it just wasn’t in the cards for Raley to get many plate appearances with this star-studded team. Of course, we will have one last memory of Raley. He was the guy who hit the absolute longest home run of 2021, when he absolutely obliterated a pitch from German Marquez in Coors Field late in the season. Here’s looking at you, Raley. We’ll always have Denver.
