Dodgers signal Ryan Brasier, commerce with Yankees to shake up bullpen

The reliever merry-go-round hardly ever stops spinning, and one workforce’s castoff may be one other’s potential cog. Living proof: on Monday the Dodgers re-signed righty Ryan Brasier, whom they plucked from the scrapheap in mid-2023, to a two-year deal. So as to add him, they dealt lefty Caleb Ferguson to the Yankees for itinerant lefty Matt Gage and righty prospect Christian Zazueta Jr.

The 36-year-old Brasier, who made $2 million final 12 months, his last one earlier than free company, is assured $9 million for 2024–25, with a most of $4 million in incentives attainable as nicely. At this writing, the specifics of the annual breakdowns and the benchmarks for these bonuses aren’t recognized, however suffice to say, this represents a giant improve in his lifestyle. The Angels, Cardinals, Crimson Sox, and Yankees all confirmed curiosity in him this winter as nicely, in accordance with The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya.

Such an consequence would have been nearly unthinkable again in Might, when Brasier misplaced his job with the Crimson Sox, for whom he’d pitched since 2018 with various levels of success. Although he made 68 appearances for Boston in 2022, he posted a 3.61 FIP however a 5.78 ERA in 62.1 innings, with a .335 BABIP — owing to too many hard-hit balls — taking part in a major function within the discrepancy between these two run prevention figures. By means of the primary six weeks of his 2023 season with the Crimson Sox, it was extra of the identical: a 7.29 ERA, a 4.35 FIP, and a .344 BABIP in 21 innings.

On Might 15, a day after Brasier had allowed three runs in a season-high 2.1 innings of garbage-time obligation in opposition to the Cardinals, the Crimson Sox designated him for project; six days later, they launched him. The Dodgers signed him to a minor league deal in early June, with Rob Hill, the workforce’s director of minor league pitching, and Brent Minta, their pitching analytics coordinator, suggesting he add a lower fastball to a repertoire that additionally features a four-seamer that averages nearly 96 mph and mid-80s slider.

Brasier spent about two weeks engaged on the brand new pitch at Camelback Ranch, then made two appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma Metropolis, throughout which he struck out 5 of 9 hitters with out permitting a baserunner. The Dodgers known as him up, and he was excellent, pitching to a 0.70 ERA and a pair of.48 FIP in 38.2 innings the remainder of the way in which. Throwing the brand new pitch to lefties 46.8% of the time (although simply 6.2% to righties), he held batters to a .152 common and .273 slugging share with a 16.4% whiff charge. In the meantime, he lower his four-seam fastball utilization in half, bought higher outcomes on contact and better whiff charges on all of his pitches:

Brasier had been scorched at a .389/.463/.611 clip by the 41 lefties he confronted with the Crimson Sox, putting out simply three of them whereas strolling 5. As soon as he joined the Dodgers, lefties hit simply .123/.167/.211 in 60 plate appearances, with three walks (one intentional) and 18 strikeouts.

Total, Brasier’s strikeout-walk differential doubled, and his outcomes on contact improved dramatically:

All of which is to say that we will add Brasier to the ever-growing listing of pitchers — Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Evan Phillips, Alex Wooden — whom the Dodgers have been in a position to get way more out of than different groups thanks to numerous tweaks in mechanics and repertoire. Noah Syndergaard and Lance Lynn are proof that they’re not at all times profitable at doing so, however they’ve helped sufficient hurlers to justify their effort. As Phillips, the proprietor of a 7.26 ERA and 5.37 FIP in 57 innings at three earlier stops earlier than arriving in mid-2021, advised the Los Angeles Instances’ Mike DiGiovanna earlier this month, “When the Los Angeles Dodgers come calling and say, ‘Hey, we predict you may be nice,’ you are likely to hear. They actually compelled the envelope and stated, ‘You’re gonna have to do this stuff to pitch nicely,’ and I used to be in no place to argue with them.”

Phillips is now the closest factor the Dodgers should an everyday nearer; he led the workforce — which had the majors’ third-best bullpen ERA (3.42), second-best FIP (3.73) and greatest WAR (7.6) final season — with 24 saves. Brasier is now within the combine for a late-inning function, together with fellow righties Brusdar Graterol and Joe Kelly. The latter, whom the Dodgers reacquired within the Lynn commerce with the White Sox on July 28, then re-signed to a one-year, $8 million deal in December, has a notoriously spotty well being historical past, as does Blake Treinen, who’s hoping to return to motion after throwing simply 5 innings in 2022 and none final 12 months because of labrum and rotator cuff tears that required surgical procedure. A wholesome Brasier affords some insurance coverage inside that group.

The Dodgers haven’t cleared a roster spot but for Brasier; they’ll possible simply wait till Thursday, the first day that the workforce can transfer Tommy John surgical procedure recipients Tony Gonsolin and Dustin Might — to not point out newly re-signed Clayton Kershaw — to the 60-day injured listing, the place they received’t rely in opposition to the 40-man roster restrict. The workforce did already make a little bit of room for Brasier throughout the bullpen and on the payroll by buying and selling Ferguson to the Yankees. The 27-year-old lefty, who had been within the Dodgers group since being drafted out of highschool in 2014, set profession highs in appearances (68), innings (60.1), and WAR (1.3) in 2023 whereas posting a 3.43 ERA and three.34 FIP. As Davy Andrews identified in August, he restored a cutter to his arsenal in 2023. In his case, he ditched a fairly efficient curveball to take action, although it didn’t work too nicely in opposition to lefties:

In actual fact, Ferguson has yielded the next wOBA to same-side hitters than he has to these of the other hand in every of the final two seasons and three out of 5 in a profession that’s been interrupted by the pandemic and a late-2020 Tommy John surgical procedure, his second. (His first was in 2014, only a week earlier than he was drafted.)

For the Yankees, who final week misplaced stalwart lefty Wandy Peralta to the Padres, that’s one thing of step backwards. Peralta had been very efficient in opposition to lefties (.217 wOBA in 174 PA in 2022–23) whereas additionally being fairly efficient in opposition to righties (.300 wOBA in 276 PA over these two seasons), although that composite masks a 70-point year-to-year leap (from .266 in 2022 to .336 in ’23) in opposition to the latter. Ferguson, who will make $2.4 million in 2024, his final 12 months earlier than free company, is inexpensive, so there’s that for the Yankees.

Curiously sufficient, Ferguson will be part of one other former Dodgers lefty, 28-year-old Victor González, in New York’s bullpen; he was traded to the Yankees on Dec. 11 together with infield prospect Jorbit Vivas in alternate for an additional infield prospect, Trey Sweeney. Ferguson figures to be the upper of the 2 within the pecking order, within the setup combine together with righties Jonathan Loáisiga and Tommy Kahnle, forward of nearer Clay Holmes. It’s value noting that Loáisiga and Kahnle mixed for simply 58.1 innings final 12 months amid accidents, so supervisor Aaron Boone may name Ferguson’s quantity with some frequency.

As for the extra skilled of the 2 pitchers the Dodgers acquired in alternate for Ferguson, the 30-year-old Gage is now in his eighth group since being drafted by the Giants within the tenth spherical in 2014. He’s handed by way of the arms of the Mets, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Astros, and Yankees whereas totaling simply 16 video games within the majors, 11 with Toronto in 2022 and 5 with Houston final 12 months; he was optioned 4 instances for his hassle. He’s pitched fairly nicely in his restricted main league alternatives utilizing a fastball-cutter combo with an occasional slider within the combine, posting a 1.83 ERA and three.97 FIP in 19.2 innings whereas putting out 26% of hitters. He bought knocked round at Triple-A Sugar Land final 12 months, nonetheless, posting a 4.58 ERA and 5.29 FIP with a 23.4% strikeout charge; although he held lefties to a .203/278/.328 line in 73 PA, righties hit .333/.425/.559 in 121 PA in opposition to him. If you happen to’re getting the sense that he’s a man on the perimeter of the 40-man roster who’s prone to change addresses a number of instances in 2024, you’re in all probability proper. He may be one free agent signing or a few unhealthy — and even lengthy — outings away from being despatched down or out at any second. It’s not completely out of the query that he may very well be DFA’d to make room for a extra skilled lefty reliever, as Alex Vesia and Ryan Yarbrough, the pair presently penciled in for the lively roster, don’t precisely strike concern into anybody.

As for Zazueta, he’s the 19-year-old son of Christian Zazueta Sr., a still-active 15-season veteran of the Mexican League who spent final 12 months with El Aguila de Veracruz. The youthful Zazueta, additionally a local of Mexico, is listed at 6-foot-3 and 163 kilos. He’s spent the previous two seasons within the Dominican Summer season League, the place final 12 months he posted a 3.29 ERA and 4.59 FIP whereas putting out 23.6% of all hitters in a team-high 52 innings. He earned an honorable point out spot on the Yankees’ Prime 36 Prospects Record in December, the place Eric Longenhagen lumped him among the many swingmen whereas noting, “He has the pitch motion basis to interrupt out if he can throw more durable as he matures. He presently has a rise-and-run upper-80s fastball, a shapely mid-70s curveball, and a precocious changeup, all of which have bat-missing promise.”

Bringing Brasier again is a pleasant transfer for the Dodgers, however by buying and selling Ferguson, they nonetheless have a major variety of higher-leverage innings to fill, and may have one other addition to the bullpen. Likewise, Ferguson in all probability shouldn’t be the final transfer the Yankees make in what’s been a somewhat underwhelming winter in the case of patching their pitching workers.