The Los Angeles Dodgers traded James Outman to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Brock Stewart, marking a return to the organization for the 33-year-old.
Adding a right-handed reliever was a primary focus for the Dodgers at the deadline this year, and they have accomplished exactly that in the form of a late-inning impact arm.
Stewart has pitched to a 2.38 ERA across 34 innings this season, striking out 29.5% of hitters and walking 7.9%. He’s held opposing hitters to a .208 batting average with a 1.09 WHIP while allowing just 0.79 homers per nine innings.
Over his career, Stewart holds a 4.48 ERA in 183 innings, but in the past three seasons with the Twins, he’s pitched to a 2.33 ERA in 77.1 innings while striking out 31.7% of hitters and walking 9.5%.
Stewart also has two more years of team control through salary arbitration following this season, which should be beneficial for the Dodgers bullpen moving forward.
Stewart began his career with the Dodgers when they drafted him in 2016 as a starting pitcher. He experienced multiple injuries during his first Dodgers tenure, including shoulder tendinitis.
Stewart bounced around after the Dodgers placed him on waivers in 2019, going to the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, and returning to L.A. in the Minors before sticking with the Twins. Stewart’s time in Minnesota included undergoing Tommy John surgery.
He joined the Twins in 2022 and returned to the mound in 2023 following his Tommy John rehab. Stewart showed potential as a breakout reliever, but he also had his season ended in 2024 because of his recurring shoulder tendinitis.
James Outman traded for Brock Stewart
Outman had a productive rookie season with the Dodgers in 2023 but wasn’t able to sustain or replicate that success, and largely became organizational depth.
Outman played in just 53 games with the Dodgers last season and spent the bulk of this year with Triple-A Oklahoma City after making the Opening Day roster for the Tokyo Series.
While with the Comets this season, Outman hit .289/.378/.592 with 20 doubles, 20 home runs and 74 RBI. He played in 39 games for the Dodgers, most recently joining the team during the first week of July as the corresponding move to Kiké Hernández landing on the injured list.
Outman was batting .103 with two homers and four RBI this season.
In some sense Outman is a replacement for the Twins trading Harrison Bader to the Philadelphia Phillies. He gives Minnesota a versatile, defense-first outfielder who is cost controlled.
The Dodgers were among the teams connected to Bader before he was sent to the Phillies, who also bested L.A. in acquiring Jhoan Duran from the Twins.
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