Dodgers sign three to minor league deal
In their continued search to fill out rosters prior to Spring Training, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed a slew of players to minor league deals over the weekend.
The latest in the string of signings came late Sunday evening and early Monday, as the team announced the signings of infielders Ty Kelly and Jake Lamb and right-handed pitcher Mike Wright.
Lamb, 31, comes with the most big league time, totaling 664 games since 2014. In that time, he's hit .236 with 91 homers and 331 RBIs, with a slash-line of .236/.328/.431.
A corner infielder by trade, he was named an All-Star in 2017, which was also his last season with more than 80 games played as injuries have derailed efforts to remain a consistent part of a big league lineup. He was a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2014 until 2020 when he was traded to the Oakland Athletics.
Since then, he's bounced around clubhouses a bit spending time with the Chicago White Sox, the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Fellow infielder Ty Kelly, 33, also heads to Los Angeles after frequent stops across the face of Major League Baseball. Since getting drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2009, Kelly has suited up for seven MLB organizations, including the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. Despite this, he's only actually played in three Major League seasons, compiling 188 plate appearances in that time. He's a lifetime .203/.288/.323 hitter with three homers and 21 total RBIs.
Kelly has played nearly every position on the diamond, with the exception of catcher and pitcher, and has never made an error over the course of his MLB career - a valuable commodity for any manager.
Both figure to be reserve valve options should the Big League roster face a litany of injuries, especially with first baseman Max Muncy still recovering from elbow surgery.
On the other hand, Mike Wright figures to battle for a spot in the Dodgers bullpen after spending parts of 2021 with the Chicago White Sox. He's also previously pitched for the Baltimore Orioles, the Seattle Mariners and even the NC Dinos in the Korean Baseball Organization, where he won a Korean Series Championship in 2020.
In 123 career appearances Wright is 10-19, tossing 276.0 innings to the tune of a 5.97 ERA with 219 strikeouts.
Additionally, the team has signed left-handed reliever Daniel Zamora, and right-handed relievers Reyes Moronta and Yency Almonte over the weekend. They also locked utility man Hanser Alberto down to a one year deal, with a club option for 2023.
They also re-signed long-term ace Clayton Kershaw to a one-year contract, retaining the former-MVP and three-time Cy Young Award winner.
