The Dodgers have signed right-hander Lou Trivino to a minor league contract, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco reports. Trivino was only briefly on the open market, as he elected to become a free agent just yesterday after he was designated for assignment by the Giants and cleared waivers.
Trivino inked a minors deal with San Francisco during the offseason, and he locked in a $1.5MM salary from that contract after an impressive spring performance earned Trivino a spot on the Opening Day roster. Unfortunately, the righty’s Spring Training numbers didn’t translate to the regular season, as Trivino posted a 5.84 ERA over 12 1/3 innings out of the Giants’ bullpen. His strikeout and walk rates were below average, but the largest issue was the long ball, as Trivino gave up four home runs in his short span as a Giant.
The Pro Edge Sports Management client now looks for a fresh start with the Giants’ arch-rivals in Los Angeles. A minor league deal is a no-risk endeavor for the Dodgers in seeing what Trivino can bring, and the club’s ever-present need for healthy arms means that Trivino could see some action with the World Series champs in pretty short order. Given the Dodgers’ history of reviving pitchers’ careers, it wouldn’t even be a surprise to see Trivino return to pre-injury form.
Trivino posted a 3.86 ERA in 284 2/3 innings with the A’s and Yankees from 2018-22, with the bulk of that work coming with Oakland before the Athletics dealt him to the Bronx at the 2022 trade deadline. Trivino’s penchant for walks led to some inconsistent performances, but when he was on, he was very sharp. For instance, he performed well as the Athletics’ closer in 2021, and he had 1.66 ERA in 21 2/3 innings with the Yankees over the remainder of the 2022 season.
Unfortunately, Trivino missed the entirety of the 2023-24 seasons due to a Tommy John surgery, and then some elbow and shoulder soreness that held up his rehab enough that he couldn’t make it back it back onto a big league mound before 2024 was over. His early-season struggles and a minor dip in his pre-2023 velocity could well be some side effects of Trivino just working his way back into form after the long layoff, adding to the possible upside for the Dodgers.