Dodgers: Former LA Top Prospect Returns to Organization on Minor-League Deal

The Dodgers signed Rubby De La Rosa, a former LA top prospect, to a minor-league deal as he comes back after four years playing in Japan.

Back in 2012, the Dodgers and Red Sox pulled off a nine-player trade that brought Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, and Nick Punto to Los Angeles. The five players who went to Boston provided a combined -1.7 WAR for the Red Sox, while Gonzalez himself was worth 14.3 WAR for LA and the other three combined for 7.3 WAR.

Eight of the nine players involved in that trade are no longer playing. The ninth is the only player who provided positive value to the Red Sox, and now he's back with the Dodgers. According to the transaction logs, Los Angeles signed free-agent pitcher Rubby De La Rosa to a minor-league deal.

According to the MiLB transaction page, RHP Rubby De La Rosa has signed with the Dodgers. He's been assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma.

— Ed Hand (@EdHand89) February 10, 2023

De La Rosa pitched two seasons with the Red Sox, then went to the Diamondbacks in a trade for Wade Miley. He spent parts of three years in the majors with the DBacks and two more years in the minors before they released him in 2019. At that point, he went to Japan.

De La Rosa has been pitching for the Yomiuri Giants since 2019, posting a 2.53 ERA in 124.1 innings over the last four seasons. A starter when the Dodgers traded him, he has pitched exclusively in relief in NPB.

The right-handed De La Rosa will turn 34 next month. After signing with LA out of the Dominican Republic in 2007, he debuted with Los Angeles in 2011 and pitched 61.1 innings before being traded to Boston. He was on Baseball America's 2011 preseason Top 100 Prospects list and was one of the highlights of Boston's return in the trade.

Things have never really worked out in the big leagues for De La Rosa, but he's back in the U.S. and looking for one more chance with his original franchise.