Dodgers Reportedly Land Ex-Cardinals Hurler To Help Add Bullpen Depth
The Los Angeles Dodgers certainly have been the most active team in baseball this offseason.
Los Angeles has made the two largest moves of the offseason by signing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and young ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dodgers also traded for Tyler Glasnow and signed slugger Teoscar Hernández.
It wouldn't be too surprising to see the Dodgers make another major move at this point. They've clearly shown they are going all in on the 2024 campaign.
While this is the case and Los Angeles has made some splashy moves, it also has added more organizational depth throughout the organization.
The Dodgers announced 20 non-roster invitations to Spring Training and in doing so announced that they signed former Cardinals hurler T.J. McFarland to a minor league deal, according to Major League Baseball Trade Rumors' Anthony Franco.
"The Dodgers announced 20 non-roster invitations to big league Spring Training," Franco said. "While the majority of those players were either already in the L.A. organization or had been previously reported as minor league signees, a few of the invitees are new acquisitions. Reliever T.J. McFarland and infielder Kevin Padlo will be in camp, as will right-handers Kevin Gowdy and Michael Petersen.
"McFarland, 34, has the most (extensive) MLB track record. He has pitched in 353 big league contests going back to 2013. The soft-tossing lefty reached the majors for the 11th straight year last summer with a brief stint for the (New York Mets). He was on New York’s roster for around two weeks in the middle of the summer. He pitched three times, logging 1 2/3 innings of two-run ball."
McFarland spent two seasons in St. Louis in 2021 and 2022 and had a 4.42 ERA in 66 appearances with a 37-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He now will attempt to work his way back up to the big leagues with Los Angeles.
More MLB: Cardinals Sign Ex-Astros Fireballer To Bolster Organizational Depth