The Dodgers have concluded their first off-season deal since re-signing Chris Taylor on a four-year contract. While it's not their fault that they haven't completed any more deals (e.g., Freddie Freeman), they weren't particularly active before that either. Well, now they just completed a signing no one saw coming.
According to MiLB Transactions on Twitter, the Dodgers have signed catcher Tomas Telis to a minor league contract. The agreement has been finalized on the Dodgers’ transaction list. Because it's a minor league deal, it isn't affected by the current MLB lockout.
Telis, a .296 hitter in the minor leagues over his career, most recently played for the Minnesota Twins' Triple-A affiliate last season. He was with Miami from 2018 to 2019, where he hit .207 with 1 RBI in 23 games. He made his debut with the Texas Rangers in 2014, before moving to the Miami Marlins for parts of five seasons. The 30-year-old catcher has a career .230/.267/.297 batting line with one home run and 24 RBI in 122 Major League games.
The acquisition of Telis is likely to provide the Dodgers with additional depth in the system at the backstop position. They currently have Will Smith behind the plate , who isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and Austin Barnes, a seasoned veteran. Telis may give the Dodgers an alternative option should anything happen to their current catching depth, but it's unlikely that he has much to offer given his history and production at the Major League level.
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