Dodgers ship Luke Raley to Tampa Bay for pitching prospect Tanner Dodson
To clear room on what has suddenly become a crowded 40-man roster in Los Angeles, following a string of free agent signings, the Dodgers have traded outfielder Luke Raley to the Tampa Bay Rays.
In return, the Boys in Blue will receive pitching prospect Tanner Dodson.
Raley, 27, made his Major League debut in 2021, hitting just .182 with two homers and four RBIs in 72 plate appearances. He had a .250 on-base percentage, striking out more than a third of the time at the plate.
Granted, one big league season with just over 30 games played is far from enough of a sample size to judge a player's true talent, and the corner outfielder's potential for power still highlights what could be his true threshold.
He was originally drafted by the Dodgers back in 2016, before being shipped to the Minnesota Twins, along with pitcher Devin Smeltzer and infielder Logan Forsythe, about two years later in exchange for second baseman Brian Dozier.
Nearly two years later, he'd return to his original organization as a part of the Kenta Maeda trade in 2020, which netted the Dodgers both Raley and reliever Brusdar Graterol.
The minor leagues were a much different story for Raley in 2021, as in 72 games he hit 19 homers and drove in 69 runs to the tune of a .294 batting average.
Dodson, however, has yet to make an appearance in the bigs. With potential to be a two-way player, after playing in a similar role in college, Dodson figures to operate solely as a pitcher unless something changes in the near future.
He was drafted in 2018 by the Rays, and in three minor league seasons he's 6-3 with a 3.11 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 98.1 innings. He's made the majority of his appearances out of the bullpen, and features a mid-90s fastball with a sharp biting slider.
Dodson is the tenth pitcher that the Dodgers have acquired through some fashion following the conclusion of the 99 day lockout between MLB players and owners.
In order to add Raley to their 40-man roster, the Rays moved starting pitcher Yonny Chirinos to the 60-Day Injured List.
Both Danny Duffy and Jimmy Nelson, recent signing by the Dodgers, were moved to the 60-Day Injured Lists as well so that they could add newest acquisitions Freddie Freeman and Tyler Anderson to the 40-man.