Los Angeles Dodgers News Roundup: Team expected to pounce on newly-released Houston Astros reliever; Analyst speculates acquisition of star Oakland Athletics pitcher - April 28, 2022
The 2022 Los Angeles Dodgers arguably possess one of the best batting orders the MLB has ever seen. First baseman Freddie Freeman and pitcher Clayton Kershaw are both future Hall of Famers. Trea Turner and Mookie Betts are both triple threat talents, and the 27-year-old ace Walker Buehler is getting better year by year.
All that being said, the Los Angeles Dodgers' biggest weapon is the organization's wealth and its willingness to spend millions of dollars to field perrenial contenders. It doesn't matter that the club is off to a 12-6 start. General Manager Brandon Gomes is still looking to bolster his roster even more, and his focus appears to be the pitching staff.
Los Angeles Dodgers News Roundup: April 28, 2022
Dodgers may pursue former Houston Astros reliever Pedro Baez
After pitching in only seven games for the Houston Astros since their acquisition of the reliever last year, Pedro Baez is headed to the waivers. The 34-year-old evidently failed to impress the organization as he struggled to stay healthy, pitching a meager total of 6.2 innings in two seasons. Lucky for Baez (and for any club who pursues him now), he's still under a two-year, $12.5 million contract with the organization that will expire at the end of this year.
From the #Astros: RHP Pedro Baez has cleared unconditional release waivers and has been released. Baez had been designated for assignment by the Astros on Tuesday.
"From the #Astros: RHP Pedro Baez has cleared unconditional release waivers and has been released. Baez had been designated for assignment by the Astros on Tuesday." - @ Mark Berman
Needless to say, the Dodgers have an expensive roster. They'll take any free acquisitions they can get, especially if they can bolster a pitching staff that has struggled with injuries and the unexpected absence of Trevor Bauer.
Baez isn't exactly what you'd call consistently healthy. He's struggled with shoulder issues over the past two seasons, but he's cheap at the moment. He's also familiar with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as he played for the organization from 2014-2019. The right-hander was a steady presence for several seasons. In 2017, he posted a 2.95 ERA through 64 innings of work. And in 2018, he kept the momentum going with a 2.88 ERA over 56.1 innings out of the bullpen.
Pedro Báez signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Astros last winter that included a $7.5 million club option for 2023. His 2023 club option contained a $2 million buyout. Báez threw 6.2 major league innings over the life of the deal before Houston cut ties with him today
"Pedro Báez signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Astros last winter that included a $7.5 million club option for 2023. His 2023 club option contained a $2 million buyout. Báez threw 6.2 major league innings over the life of the deal before Houston cut ties with him today" - @ Chandler Rome
He's certainly declined since then, but maybe the Dodgers could attempt to resurrect Baez's old self by bringing him back aboard.
MLB analyst speculates Dodgers acquisition of Oakland's Frankie Montas
Yes, it's speculation, but it's also expert speculation. Writer for "The Athletic," Jim Bowden, recently wrote an article in which he listed several probable trade destinations for Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas. Here's what he said:
"The Dodgers won’t offer any of their top prospects, like the 100-mph throwing Bobby Miller, top catching prospect Diego Cartaya, infielder Michael Busch or even outfielder Andy Pages. However, they might be willing to offer two pitching prospects from the group of Landon Knack, Andre Jackson, Maddux Bruns, Carlos Duran or Gavin Stone."
If the Los Angeles Dodgers are truly interested in Montas, they're going to have to dig deep into their pockets. Montas posted a clean 3.37 ERA over 187 innings last season. He struck out 207 batters and finished sixth in National League Cy Young Award voting. Safe to say, he's worth a lot now.
The Athletics are currently going through a major rebuild. General Manager Billy Beane dealt almost all his star players during the offseason, sending pitchers Chris Bassitt and Sean Manaea to the New York Mets and San Diego Padres respectively, and infielders Matt Chapman and Matt Olsen to the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves respectively. Beane is storing cash to build a new team, and Frankie Montas is worth a lot of that. Dealing with a club as rich as the Dodgers, he's going to set a high price for the 29-year-old.