The Los Angeles Dodgers have been relatively quiet in the free agent market this winter, as re-signing Chase Utley and signing veteran pitcher Tom Koehler have been their only Major League commitments to this point.
They have made a flurry of moves on the Minor League side to bolster their pitching depth, signing Henry Owens, Dylan Baker and many others to the organization. The players will have an opportunity to begin the process of making an impression, which could lead to a call-up during the season.
Adding left-handed relievers was a big need for the Dodgers this offseason as they have lost Grant Dayton, Luis Avilan and potentially Tony Watson, who is currently in contact with at least three other teams.
They did make an acquisition via trade, picking up Scott Alexander from the Kansas City Royals earlier in the offseason. The Dodgers further added to their collection of left-handed relievers by signing Cesar Ramos to a Minor League contract, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation:
Source: Lefty Cesar Ramos to the Dodgers on a minor-league deal. No MLB invite.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 16, 2018
While Ramos isn’t joining the Dodgers for Spring Training, it is not out of the question that he makes an impact at the Major League level at some point in 2018.
The 33-year-old local product was a first-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2005 out of Long Beach State. He has pitched in parts of eight big league seasons, yielding a 4.02 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 346.2 career innings.
Ramos did not fare well with the Texas Rangers in 2016, his last time in the Majors, as in 16 games (four starts), he went 3-3 with a 6.04 ERA, 6.61 FIP and 1.68 WHIP while striking out 27 and walking 20 in 47.2 innings.
He spent the 2017 season in the Philadelphia Phillies Minor League system, posting a 4.00 ERA in 92.1 innings. Ramos pitched to a 2.75 ERA in 52.1 innings with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2015, so he has proven to be a capable Major League pitcher at times.
