Monday, November 22, 2021

Dodgers Clubhouse Guy About To Accidentally Send Zach McKinstry Stuff To Texas

Whoever thought having Zach McKinstry, Zach Reks, and Billy McKinney all on the same squad was just cruel. So thankfully, we've resolved this mess by sending away a Zach and a McKinney, but keeping Zach McKinstry (for now):

The Rangers announced they’ve acquired outfielders Billy McKinney and Zach Reks from the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. Both players were designated for assignment by Los Angeles last Friday, as many teams cleared roster space for prospects whom they didn’t want to leave eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Texas’ 40-man roster tally is up to 39.

Yay, cash considerations! Because we'll need cash to pay off that Bauer guy.

Tuesday, November 09, 2021

Dodgers Pick Up 5.83 ERA Pitcher For $8.5M

Hello, Andrew Heaney!

The Los Angeles Dodgers, who entered this offseason with several holes to fill on their pitching staff, signed Andrew Heaney to a one-year contract worth $8.5 million, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday.

Heaney, a 30-year-old left-handed starter, spent the bulk of the past seven years with the crosstown Angels, posting a 4.67 ERA with nearly four times as many strikeouts as walks in 605 innings.

Heaney spent most of the 2016 and 2017 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery but has since made only three relatively short trips to the injured list. His ERA ballooned to 5.83 in 129⅔ innings last season, but some of the underlying numbers painted his 2021 season more favorably (most notably an average exit velocity of 89 mph, an expected ERA of 4.03 and a swinging-strike percentage of 13.8).

Oh, so his expected ERA is 1.8 runs better--but is still worse than every Dodgers 2021 starter (including Tony Gonsolin), not to mention on par with David Price? Yeah, that's awesome.