It’s been a quiet offseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers in terms of player transactions, but the club has seen some organizational roster turnover take place in recent weeks.
Midseason acquisition Yu Darvish most notably remains a free agent, while former setup man Brandon Morrow joined the Chicago Cubs on a two-year contract last month. Five other players from the 2017 season remain on the open market, including the likes of Andre Ethier and Chase Utley.
Meanwhile, Brett Eiber, who spent most of the 2017 season with the Dodgers, joins those who have moved on, as he signed a two-year Minor League contract with the Texas Rangers, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America:
#Rangers signed OF Brett Eibner to a two-year minor league deal. He had Tommy John surgery in August, when he was property of #Dodgers. Eibner, who was drafted in 2010, pitched for 3 years at Arkansas and could potentially convert to mound or work as two-way player upon return.
— Matt Eddy (@MattEddyBA) January 4, 2018
Eibner’s tenure with the Dodgers was cut short due to Tommy John surgery last August. He was promptly designated for assignment and released from the organization in the following month.
The operation will likely keep Eibner sidelined for the entire 2018 season, but the Rangers will toy with the idea of utilizing him as a two-way player the ensuing year, which could soon become a common occurrence around the league, especially if Japanese star Shohei Ohtani finds success on both sides of the ball with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
In 36 plate appearances over 17 games at the Major League level last season, Eibner slashed .182/.250/.364 with two home runs and six RBI. He saw the bulk of his opportunities at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he hit .231/.289/.385 with four doubles, one triple and four homers across 128 trips to the plate (37 games).
While he didn’t appear on the mound in a professional game for the Dodgers organization, Eibner was on board with the idea and tossed multiple bullpen sessions at various points in the season. He last pitched in college during his time with the University of Arkansas.
