Every offseason is full of reminders that baseball is a business, and not just entertainment. The Dodgers made plenty of additions to their roster over the last several weeks which means, some players had to go. Out with the old, in with the new is simply an ugly truth sometimes.
Last week, LA designated Matt Beaty for assignment. Unfortunately for Beaty, the Dodgers prioritized adding another right-handed bench bat, Hanser Alberto, over keeping the left-handed hitting Beaty in Dodger blue. In his Dodgers career, he's shown flashes of offensive potential that could earn him more consistent playing time elsewhere.
On Monday, Dodgers fans learned that that "elsewhere" will be with the San Diego Padres.
Because the Dodgers DFA'd Beaty, the organization had ten days to trade him or place him on waivers. In exchange for Beaty, the Padres sent minor league infielder River Ryan to the Dodgers.
Ryan was the Padres 11th round pick in 2021 and played his college ball at North Carolina. Ryan put up a .308 average in his first year in rookie ball, but can play a variety of positions. Ryan also served as a relief pitcher for the Tar Heels and registered a 2.32 ERA in 35 appearances.
Based on reporting from The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya, the Dodgers plan on using Ryan as a pitcher primarily and not as an infielder.
Considering how Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer has struggled offensively the last couple of years, Beaty will hopefully get more playing time than he did with the Dodgers.
More must-reads: