On the eve of the Aug. 31 waiver deadline, Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said the club was pursuing and mulling over possible additions both on the pitching side and in the form of a right-handed bat.
Zaidi’s remarks came after the Dodgers submitted a waiver claim on Ryan Madson, and within the 48-hour window to complete a trade with the Washington Nationals. That was finalized Friday afternoon, and the Dodgers later beat the 9 p.m. PT deadline by trading for David Freese.
He joins a talented roster that Freese joked gave off the presence he was at an All-Star Game upon first walking into the Dodgers clubhouse, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“Man, I walked in and it kind of felt like an All-Star Game, to be honest,” said the 35-year-old. “I’m just trying to be me, that’s the easiest thing. If I try to be like these other guys, it’s not going to go very well.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he intended to start Freese against left-handed pitching and as a pinch-hit option off the bench. As such, the veteran infielder was immediately thrust into the fire as he was in the lineup Saturday night to face Patrick Corbin.
Starting at first base and batting fifth, Freese singled in his first at-bat with the team and finished 1-for-2 while also being hit by a pitch.
