The Los Angeles Dodgers declined their team option on Hanser Alberto, who received a $250,000 buyout rather than a $2 million salary for the 2023 season.
The Dodgers also declined team options on Danny Duffy and Jimmy Nelson, though neither of the pitchers had a buyout as part of their contract terms.
Alberto was touted as a versatile option for a Dodgers bench that struggled to find consistent contributors last year. However, he failed to make the expected impact and fell short of career averages.
Alberto batted .244/.258/.365 with nine doubles, two triples, two home runs and 15 RBI over 73 games. He otherwise is a career .272/.294/.380 hitter.
It can be argued Alberto’s biggest contributions for the Dodgers came from the mound. He set an MLB record for most pitching appearances by a position player in a single season with 10.
Some of those games took a burden off the Dodgers bullpen at various points throughout the season, which earned Alberto praise from manager Dave Roberts for being willing to do anything asked in the best interest of the team.
Several of Alberto’s teammates raved about his contributions and uplifting presence in the Dodgers clubhouse.
“It’s funny. Hanser, man, he’s just catalyst that in the clubhouse that keeps us all loose, keeps us having fun,” Mookie Betts recently said. “He’s always dancing and always making a smile. Just a very important person to have.”
It’s conceivable the Dodgers re-sign Alberto to a more team-friendly contract, but that doesn’t necessarily appear to be a likely outcome in free agency for the 30-year-old.
Hanser Alberto received votes for 2022 Roy Campanella Award
Freddie Freeman was named the recipient of the 17th annual Roy Campanella Award, which is voted on by Dodgers players and coaches, but Alberto also received consideration.
“This is one of the years that more players on this club got individual votes than ever before, which is a credit to a lot of candidates,” Roberts said last month. “He was the majority vote-getter, but I kind of brought Hanser to light a little bit too in the sense that he got a handful of votes.
“You’re talking about Roy Campanella, who obviously was a great player, but what he meant to the clubhouse he was a part of, Hanser in a lot of ways has done that for us. Being a big cheerleader at the end of the bench, showing up positive to work every day, pitching, taking down innings when we’ve needed it. Everything about him screams good teammate.”
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