Heading into the offseason, one of the biggest areas the Los Angeles Dodgers needed to address was their bullpen and pitching depth.
There are many big-name relievers on the free-agent market such as, Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Miller, Zach Britton, Adam Ottavino and others, but if recent history tells us anything, the Dodgers will not spend big on a relief pitcher.
The Dodgers front office is known for making smaller-type signings and trades, and having relievers come out of nowhere to get big outs, a la Brandon Morrow and Joe Blanton.
It appears they may be at it again as according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Los Angeles reportedly signed former San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds reliever Kevin Quackenbush to a Minor League contract:
The Dodgers signed former Padres and Reds right-hander Kevin Quackenbush to a minor league deal yesterday.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) November 14, 2018
The soon-to-be 30-year-old had a rough 2018 season with the Reds, appearing in just 10 Major League games. He posted an 11.00 ERA, 7.94 FIP and 2.11 WHIP with seven strikeouts and six walks in nine innings.
He spent a majority of the season with Triple-A Louisville and had a lot more success, pitching to a 2.68 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 47 games. Quackenbush recorded 56 strikeouts compared to 11 walks in 47 innings during that time.
The right-hander has made 203 career big league appearances across five seasons and holds a career 4.38 ERA, 4.09 FIP and 1.33 WHIP. Quackenbush’s best season was his rookie year with the Padres in 2014 when he yielded a 2.48 ERA, 2.65 FIP and 1.10 WHIP in 54.1 innings.
While he may never get back to that level, he will provide the Dodgers with some depth at the Minor League level, and if he succeeds, there is a good chance he will be back pitching in the big leagues at some point during the 2019 season.
