Edwin Ríos was among the players non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason despite showing plenty of potential during his time with the organization.
After three months on the open market, Ríos signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs for the 2023 season. It reunited with former Dodgers teammate Cody Bellinger, who also joined the Cubs on a one-year contract after being non-tendered by L.A.
In parts of four seasons with the Dodgers, Ríos hit .219/.299/.492 with nine doubles, 20 home runs, 43 RBI across 112 games. Known for his power, he averaged one home run every 13 at-bats with the club.
While his bat was never in question, the Dodgers reportedly believed Ríos is too one-dimensional, via Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
The Dodgers, according to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, didn’t believe Ríos was adequately developing his skill set beyond his power.
After signing with the Cubs, Ríos took to Twitter to thank the Dodgers for giving him an opportunity to live out his Major League dream while expressing excitement for his next chapter.
Ríos was initially limited to bench opportunities last season but received more playing time after the Dodgers placed Max Muncy on the injured list. The 28-year-old’s momentum unfortunately came to a halt in June when he sustained a significant hamstring strain.
Ríos was sidelined for nearly two months before being optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City after completing a rehab assignment. He never returned to the Majors and finished the year with a .244/.293/.500 batting line with seven home runs, 17 RBI and a 120 wRC+ in 27 games.
Edwin Ríos: Not receiving call up to Dodgers felt like ‘punch in the gut’
Ríos went into depth about not playing for the Dodgers during the second half of the 2022 season and believes he could have contributed if given the opportunity.
Ríos did return to the team as part of their taxi squad for the postseason and participated in the club workouts, but that was all for the slugger as the Dodgers were quickly eliminated in the National League Division Series.
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