Dodgers Make 2 Trades Involving 4 Players, Announce Alanna Rizzo's Successor
Included is text from three Dodgers press releases detailing the moves, followed each time by a short comment from me.
In as a busy two-day stretch at Chavez Ravine, Andrew Friedman welcomed Trevor Bauer to Los Angeles on Thursday and followed up with two trades involving four players, the Miami Marlins and Oakland Athletics today. The club also announced that Kirsten Watson has joined the broadcast team, replacing Alanno Rizzo, who resigned her position last week.
Below is text from three club press releases, followed each time by a short comment from me.
Press release one: “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.”
Comment: Neuse (photo above) is not necessarily a replacement for Justin Turner, but his acquisition does allow the Dodgers a little insurance in case the free agent Turner ends up elsewhere. While Neuse has made only five appearances at third base (and 20 at second base) in his short major league career, it was his primary position in the minors (313) games. He’s also played in 67 games at shortstop, 17 at second base, one at first and three in left field. Friedman loves versatility. He also loves to do deals with Billy Beane (“Overrated,” said Mr. Subliminal), who you may remember, was also responsible for releasing Max Muncy a month before L.A. scooped him up in 2016.
Varland is likely a couple of years away. I imagine that the Dodgers felt they got what they could out of Adam Kolarek and were pleased to get something in return for him. With Neuse in and Korarek, the club saves some $400,000 in 2021 payroll.
Press release two: “LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired left-handed pitcher Alex Vesia and minor league pitcher Kyle Hurt from the Miami Marlins in exchange for right-handed pitcher Dylan Floro.
“Vesia, 24, made five appearance in 2020, allowing nine runs in 4.1 innings while striking out five. He made his Major League debut on July 25, 2020, tossing 0.2 innings at Philadelphia. The Northern California native is 11-2 with a 1.62 ERA (18 ER/100.0 IP) and 138 strikeouts in 52 minor league appearances (one start). In his first full minor league season in 2019, he went a combined 7-2 with a 1.76 ERA (13 ER/66.2 IP) and 100 strikeouts in 38 games across three different levels. He was originally drafted in the 17th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out California State University, East Bay.
“Hurt, 22, was the Marlins 5th round selection in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out the University of Southern California. The former Trojan made four starts in 2020 for USC, going 2-1 with a 3.71 ERA (7 ER/17.0 IP) and 25 strikeouts. In his three seasons with USC, the right-hander went a combined 9-13 with a 5.06 ERA (97 ER/172.2 IP) and 170 strikeouts. The Torrey Pines High School graduate pitched in the Cape Cod League in 2018, going 1-1 with a 3.47 ERA (9 ER/23.1 IP) and 22 strikeouts for the Chatham A’s.
“Floro, 30, spent parts of the last three seasons with the Dodgers, recording an 11-4 mark with a 3.10 ERA (34 ER/98.2 IP) and 92 strikeouts. Last season, he went 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA (7 ER/24.1 IP) and 19 strikeouts in 25 games while adding six postseason appearances and allowing three runs in 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts. The former Cal State Fullerton Titan has pitched in the Major Leagues five seasons and is 14-7 with a 3.33 ERA (59 ER/159.2 IP) and 139 strikeouts.”
Comment: Right-hander Floro out, Vesia in and another approximately $400,000 saved. The 18.68 big league earned run average doesn’t phase me. It’s 4 1/3 innings. The two-season mark across four level minor league is more telling (stats above). We could see the left-hander with the big club in 2021, and we’ll certainly get a good look at him in Cactus League action, perhaps before the end of February.
This isn’t blockbuster baseball news, but I trust Friedman completely with this type of roster manipulation. Neuse and Vesia have already been added to the Dodgers’ 40-man, with the names of Kolarek and Floro being transitioned to the history books. With the earlier acquisition of Garrett Cleavinger, L.A. now has four left-handed relievers in the fold; five if you include Julio Urias, which if it were up to me, you shouldn’t. I don’t believe this is the last bullpen move of the winter. Stay tuned for that.
Press release three: “LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced the addition of Kirsten Watson to their broadcast team. In her role as a reporter and host, Watson will contribute to the Dodgers’ SportsNet LA game broadcasts and studio programming as well as pre- and postgame coverage on both television and radio.
“Watson joins the Dodgers following two years as a reporter and host with Spectrum SportsNet, where she appeared on pre-, post- and in-game broadcasts of the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Sparks and South Bay Lakers while also co-hosting the network’s Lakeshow studio program. She also currently serves as a producer for the National Football League, creating localized content for international markets, hosting its Game Recognize Game series and organizing international trips for NFL players for content and media opportunities. Watson also hosted Monday Night Football on Channel 5 in the UK, an international broadcast in partnership with NFL Network.
“I am excited to continue my passion as a storyteller with the Los Angeles Dodgers,” said Watson. “To have the opportunity to be a member of and represent one of the most iconic sports franchises is an honor.”
“Following the completion of her Master’s degree at Columbia Journalism School, Watson was awarded the Stuart Scott Internship-Scholarship from the National Association of Black Journalists and ESPN, where she produced video packages for SportsCenter and NFL Live. Watson also earned her Bachelor’s degree from Columbia and was a member of the school’s volleyball team.
“We feel that our broadcast is one of the best in sports and know that Kirsten can help make it even stronger,” said Lon Rosen, Dodger Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “We’re excited for Dodger fans to get to know her.”
Comment: I’m going to miss Alanna and wish Kirsten all the luck in the world.
Baseball Photo of the Day:
Media Savvy:
New Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer’s social media history explained, by Jack Harris at the LAT.
OKC Dodgers: MLB dissolves Pacific Coast League in realignment. Here’s what it means to the Dodgers, by Jacob Unruh at the Oklahoman.
And remember, glove conquers all.
Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the Internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter. Follow OBHC on Twitter here. Be friends with Howard on Facebook.
Read OBHC online here.
Very cool Howie. Glad to see you are still writing...