Monday, February 5, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2023
Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers re-signed Ryan Brasier to a two-year $9 million deal and traded Caleb Ferguson to the New York Yankees for left-handed pitcher Matt Gage and a young pitching prospect Christian Zazueta. The complexion of the Dodger bullpen has changed, and it is one of the elite bullpens in the major leagues.
Brasier joined the Dodgers in June after he was released by the Boston Red Sox. He turned the Dodger bullpen from one of the worst bullpens in the major leagues into one of the best. Regardless of the situation, Brasier was lights out. Of course, this season he will have some regression, but he will be good and add veteran leadership.
During the abbreviated 2020 season, Ferguson was brilliant until his elbow flared up. He needed a second Tommy John surgery. Since his return at the beginning of the 2022 season, he has been inconsistent. Partly he hasn’t had a defined role. He has only two pitches. After August, Dave Roberts lost confidence in Ferguson and rarely used the lefthander.
At 30, Gage has pitched only two seasons in the majors, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Houston Astros. In 2023, he had 5 games with a 2.70 ERA and 8 strikeouts. Gage, Alex Vesia, and Ryan Yarbrough will be the lefthanders in the bullpen.
