Brasier has one year and $4.5 million remaining on his contract. His DFA clears space on the 40-man roster for Yates.
The Dodgers on Thursday officially signed veteran relief pitcher Kirby Yates to a one-year, $13 million contract. In announcing the signing, the club designated Ryan Brasier for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.
Spring training camp doesn’t open for the Dodgers until February 10 when pitchers and catchers report, and that’s when teams can start using the 60-day injured list. But for all moves prior to then, and with a full 40-man roster, every addition has to come with a subtraction. It’s part of the space crunch on the pitching side of the roster.
Brasier had a great turnaround with the Dodgers after getting released with a 7.29 ERA in 21 innings in 2023 with Boston. After getting picked up by Los Angeles that June, Brasier had a sub-1.00 ERA in 39 games.
He signed a two-year deal to return the Dodgers, and put up a 3.54 ERA and 3.46 xERA in 29 games in 2024, with 25 strikeouts and five walks in 28 innings. Brasier missed nearly four months from April to August with a right calf strain.
Brasier pitched in half of the Dodgers’ 16 games in the postseason, and allowed five runs on four home runs in nine innings in October.
Brasier will be paid $4.5 million this year in his age-37 season. The Dodgers have a week to figure out what to do with Brasier. Either he’s claimed off waivers, released, or — perhaps more likely — traded somewhere with the Dodgers picking up a chunk of his salary.