The Dodgers have signed right-handed Chris Straton According to the team’s announcement, a major league deal was reached. Right-handed Bobby Miller Selected as a minor league to make room on the active roster while right hand JP Feyereisen Designated as an allocation to clear Straton’s 40-man lineup. Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported on Stratton’s signing. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, although it is a Major League Baseball contract.
Stratton, 34, was the Giants’ first-round pick in 2012 and made his debut in 2016. He was primarily a starter in San Francisco’s early days, but he was traded to Angels before the 2019 season and has been used almost as a reliefist since then. Rights-handed has bounced between Anaheim, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Texas and Kansas City over the years, and has compiled quite a fairly considerable pedestrian 4.63 ERA (93 ERA+) and 3.96 FIP over the past six seasons. This included solid intermediate relief work with Pirates, Cardinals and Rangers, who pitched at 3.91 ERA (109 ERA+) with a FIP of 3.51.
The right-hander’s partnership with the 2023 World Series champion Rangers is enough to win his two-year, 8mm guarantee for the Royals ahead of the 2024 season, which includes an opt-out chance before the 2025 offseason. Stratton’s performance in Kansas City isn’t exactly what the royals hoped for, exercising his player option in 2025 after a tough campaign last year, releasing a 5.55 ERA on 57 appearances. Stratton’s situation continues to be poor this season as his ERA swells to 7.94 in 17 innings before he was assigned as a mission and was eventually released by Kansas City earlier this week.
These rough numbers may have the Dodgers bring Straton into the fold in a major league trade, but his peripheral numbers do provide some reason for optimism. Stratton’s .443 BABIP this year is too high to be sustainable, and his 58.5% stock rate also suggests some misfortune when it comes to sequencing. The right guys have improved at above average ground ball rates relative to last year’s strikeout and walking rates. If he can get closer to his 4.13 FIP and 4.02 Siera, he could be a valuable intermediate relief piece for the Dodgers club, which has 14 pitchers on the injured roster.
Stratton’s increase means Feyereisen’s finish, at least in terms of his time with the Dodgers. Feyereisen has split between the Dodgers and the Rattlers this year, showing a bland 11.25 ERA in four innings throughout the work. Feyereisen has achieved two years of legal major league success, working with the winemakers and Rays in 2021-22 with two ERAs with 1.90 and a FIP of 3.44 in 80 1/3 innings. However, he missed the entire 2023 season due to injury, and since his return he struggled 9.00 in 15 innings. He also fought the Dodgers’ Triple-A last year, but he showed a 2.25 ERA on ten outings during his brief mission to Reno members in Arizona. Now, the Dodgers will have a week to formulate trade involving Feyereisen, or try to pass a waiver.
