In recent years, the Los Angeles Dodgers front office has done a tremendous job of finding diamonds in the rough, signing players like Justin Turner, Andrew Toles and Brandon Morrow to minor league deals, and they ended up turning into stars.
They also made a trade for a utilityman in the Seattle Mariners organization by the name of Chris Taylor, a trade that went under the radar at the time but Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto is now calling it the worst deal he’s ever made.
It’s possible that the Dodgers have found their next under-the-radar talent, as they have reportedly made their first free agent signing of the offseason, inking for New York Mets outfielder Travis Taijeron to a minor league deal, via Michael Mayer of MetsMerized:
Former Met outfielder Travis Taijeron has signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayerMMO) November 21, 2017
Taijeron was an 18th round pick by the Mets in 2011 out of Cal Poly Pomona. He made his Major League debut on Aug. 28 of this season, and in 26 games with the big league club, he hit .173/.271/.269 with a home run and three RBIs.
The 28-year-old had a very productive season with Triple-A Las Vegas though, slashing .272/.383/.525 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs in 125 games. The San Diego-area native has hit 135 career minor league home runs across seven seasons in the Mets organization.
One thing that has become apparent with the Dodgers front office is that they value depth, particularly in the pitching staff and outfield, and that is exactly what signing Taijeron provides.
