Before the 2020 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson in hopes that he would be able to return to his 2017 form when he finished ninth in National League Cy Young voting.
Unfortunately, the signing didn’t work out as planned with Nelson going down with a back injury in Spring Training that wound up requiring season-ending surgery. The Dodgers held a team option on Nelson for the 2021 season, which they predictably declined.
However, the right-hander found his way back to the organization, along with Brandon Morrow and Brock Stewart, by signing a Minor League contract.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is happy to have Nelson back in the organization, and it was a possibility the 31-year-old had already been discusing, via Pedro Moura of The Athletic:
“With Jimmy, the 2020 season played out in an unfortunate way for him and for us, and in the short time that he was able to be around the guys and our training staff and our performance group, he really enjoyed it. He feels like it’s an environment where he can thrive. He was talking in July and August about how much he wanted to come back and help us in 2021. We feel very similarly about the upside potential and are excited that he’s back.”
Nelson has been a starting pitcher for the majority of his career, but considering the Dodgers’ rotation boasts plenty of depth, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him coming out of the bullpen.
The plan is for Nelson to still be built up as a starter in Spring Training though, so he should be able to provide some valuable depth whenever he is called up to the big leagues in 2021. If he is unable to stay healthy, which has been the case every year since 2017, there is not much risk involved for the Dodgers since it’s only a Minor League contract.
Friedman also excited about Morrow’s upside
In addition to Nelson, Friedman also recently expressed his excitement about Morrow and the upside he can provide the Dodgers.
Morrow was arguably the Dodgers’ best reliever in 2017, but similar to Nelson, he has dealt with injuries ever since. If both he and Nelson are healthy in 2021 though, then they could be huge factors out of the bullpen for L.A.
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