Right-hander Chris Stratton has elected free agency, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The Dodgers had sent him outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, indicating he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a few days ago. However, he has exercised his right to head to the open market.
Stratton, 34, has been on and off the Dodgers’ roster in recent weeks. He was released by the Royals a couple of weeks ago. That left Kansas City on the hook for what’s left of the two-year, $8MM deal he signed ahead of the 2024 campaign. Any other team can sign him and only pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Royals pay.
The Dodgers have done so twice in recent weeks. The first time resulted in Stratton making two appearances before being designated for assignment. He went unclaimed on waivers, elected free agency and then re-signed with them. In the second stint, he made just one appearance before getting the DFA treatment again. As a player with at least five years of service time, he can reject an outright assignment and keep his salary commitments in place.
The Dodgers currently have 14 pitchers on the injured list and they have been trying various methods to keep the staff fresh. They are also a third-time competitive balance tax payor and are above the top line this year, meaning they face a 110% tax on any new spending. Stratton has therefore been a nice fit for them as a veteran arm who has been both cheap and available.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him reunite with the Dodgers yet again but he is now free to discuss opportunities with all clubs. Los Angeles just got Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates off the IL, perhaps lessening their need to sign Stratton a third time.
Stratton hasn’t been in great form lately. Since signing that aforementioned deal with the Royals, he has a 6.13 earned run average in 79 1/3 innings. His 18.3% strikeout rate and 11.9% walk rate in that time are both subpar figures, though he’s been getting grounders at a healthy 46% clip.
But he does have years of previous experience as an effective big league reliever. From 2020 to 2023, he logged 255 1/3 innings with a 3.91 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 41.9% ground ball rate. Since there’s no real cost in picking him up, he should land a new deal in the coming days.
Photo courtesy of William Purnell, Imagn Images