Dodgers Rumors: New Details Emerge on Ricky Vanasco Signing
The Dodgers signed their first player of the offseason on Thursday, agreeing to a one-year deal with right-handed pitcher Ricky Vanasco. Vanasco had been in the Dodgers organization, but he elected free agency earlier this winter.
But after signing a major league contract with the team, he finds himself back in LA. He will be added to the 40-man roster, bringing the total for the Dodgers up to 39. The team just added three prospects to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. They also tendered contracts to all their arbitration-eligible players, and even re-signed Yency Almonte on a one-year deal.
New details have emerged about his one-year contract, as he will earn $900,000 under his MLB deal. This is great value for the Dodgers, and Vanasco finally gets to be a part of the big-league club.
Dodgers insider J.P. Hoornstra reported on the contract.
He joined the Dodgers this past June, but once veteran Daniel Hudson returned from injury, he was designated for assignment. Vanasco was sent down to Triple-A after that once he cleared waivers, and he remained there for the rest of the season.
He has yet to make his major league debut, but the Dodgers obviously are high on him. They wouldn’t have signed him to a major league deal if not, and he was good for them once he joined the organization.
After joining LA, he pitched 28.3 innings in the minor leagues and posted an ERA of 0.64 while striking out 42 batters. He spent time in the bullpen while with Triple-A, so he could be a candidate for the Dodgers bullpen next season.
Vanasco did enough during his short time with the team to warrant LA signing him this offseason. He was originally taken by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. Hopefully, this signing works out well, and we get to see him on the mound at Dodger Stadium next year.
Photo Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
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