Acquired from the Yankees in February, the left-hander was with the Dodgers for five months before getting traded to the Mets. He did not pitch in the majors in 2024.
Matt Gage started the calendar year with one New York team and ended the season with the other. In between, the left-handed pitcher plied his wares with the Dodgers.
We are reviewing 68 Dodgers players this season, at least one per day through December 31. But the Dodgers only had 60 players appear in a game during 2024, and Gage is one of eight players who spent at least some time on the 40-man roster but did not play in the majors.
Gage’s time on the roster was intermittent. The Dodgers acquired Gage from the Yankees on February 5 for fellow left-hander Caleb Ferguson, who had fallen down the bullpen depth chart but was out of options. Gage had options remaining, and he was sent to Triple-A during spring training.
Gage pitched in the majors with the Blue Jays in 2022 and with the Astros in 2023, but never got the call up from Oklahoma City while with the Dodgers.
He began the minor league season on the injured list, which made for some maneuvering early in the year. When the Dodgers claimed outfielder Taylor Trammell off waivers on April 2, Gage was the roster casualty on the 40-man roster. But because he was on the IL, he wasn’t designated for assignment. Instead, Gage was released, and the Dodgers re-signed him to a minor league contract.
Gage finally made his season debut in Triple-A on May 4, and ended up pitching 20 relief appearances for Oklahoma City with a 4.29 ERA, a save, and a 29.3-percent strikeout rate.
That minor league deal that Gage signed included an opt-out date in July, and the Dodgers added him back to the 40-man roster on July 3 to keep him around, but didn’t call him up. He was optioned back to Oklahoma City, where he was already pitching.
That new stay on the 40-man roster only lasted four days, as the Dodgers traded Gage to the Mets for cash on July 7, creating roster space for Justin Wrobleski to make his major league debut.
Unlike his time with the Dodgers, Gage did get called up to the majors with the Mets on July 29, and he was in the majors for two days, but he did not pitch. The left-handed ended his season with an even split of 20 games with Oklahoma City and 20 games with Syracuse.
2024 particulars
Age: 31
Stats: 4.29 ERA, 21 IP, 27 K, 12 BB in Triple-A Oklahoma City
Salary: unknown
Game of the year
On June 25 at Reno, Gage had his longest outing of the season for Oklahoma City, pitching two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Roster status
Gage was sent outright to the minors by the Mets on November 4, and he elected free agency.