After another busy offseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ front office, Feb. 25, the date of the club’s first full-squad workout, marked the start of putting together the pieces of the puzzle.
Additionally, the Dodgers are getting another look at some of the organization’s top prospects in big league camp as they evaluate and project who may help the big league team at some point during the 2016 season.
However, the arrival of Cuban right-hander Yaisel Sierra, one of the club’s international signings, was delayed due to paperwork issues. Sierra agreed to a six-year, $30 million contract in January, but the pact wasn’t finalized until Feb. 21.
The 24 year old then had to wait until Monday before finally getting cleared to participate in Spring Training.
Sierra spent the past five years in Cuba’s top league, Serie Nacional, and also participated on the Cuban national team that clinched the 2014 Central American and Caribbean games.
The 24-year-old posted a 16-21 record to go along with a 4.23 ERA in his 131 games. Of those appearances, Sierra started 25 games. Despite previous indications the Dodgers would develop Sierra as a starting pitcher, manager Dave Roberts stated otherwise, via ESPN’s Doug Padilla:
“I think we view him as a reliever,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So that’s the nice thing in the sense of not being too worried about stretching him out.”
The right-handed pitcher said he is willing to fill any role the Dodgers:
“I’m ready for my job,” Sierra said. “Whatever it is, that is up to the manager and the coaches on my team, but basically I’m ready for the task at hand here, whether it’s being there for my teammates in the dugout, or whatever role they decide to put me in. I’m here to help.”
Sierra’s arsenal of pitches consists of an electric four-seam fastball and effective two-seamer, which Dodgers senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes recently said the club is intrigued by. Whether a starter or reliever, Sierra faces an uphill battle making the Dodgers’ roster out of camp.
