Though they fell short in their efforts to acquire Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez, the Los Angeles Dodgers still managed to complete two trades with just hours to spare before the July 31 deadline this year.
One of the deals bolstered the club’s infield depth as they acquired Jedd Gyorko, international cap space and cash considerations from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Tony Cingrani and Minor League pitcher Jeffry Abreu.
Gyorko opened up the year on the 10-day injured list due to a right calf strain. He made his season debut on April 5 and struggled for much of the month before again being sidelined because of a lower back strain.
Gyorko later suffered a left calf strain while rehabbing and used that opportunity to remove the bone spur that had bothered him for multiple years. He was limited to just 38 games with the Cardinals, hitting a weak .196/.274/.304 across 62 plate appearances.
Upon joining the Dodgers, the 31-year-old completed a two-week long rehab assignment that featured stops with Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. He made his team debut on Aug. 18 against the Atlanta Braves, starting at first base, and picked up two hits in four at-bats.
It represented Gyorko’s only multi-hit effort with L.A. He batted just .139/.205/.167 with one double and two RBI in 39 plate appearances for the Dodgers (24 games). He was subsequently left off the club’s National League Division Series roster against the Washington Nationals.
In 62 combined games between the Cardinals and Dodgers, Gyorko hit .174/.248/.250 with career-lows in doubles (one), home runs (two) and RBI (nine).
2019 highlight
In a Sept. 15 contest against the New York Mets at Citi Field, Gyorko delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the ninth that gave L.A. a 3-2 lead. He reached base safely in each of his two plate appearances that night, propelling the Dodgers back into the win column.
2020 outlook
In the wake of an ineffective and injury-ridden campaign, the Dodgers opted to decline Gyorko’s $13 million team option for the 2020 season. They instead invoked his $1 million buyout, allowing him to become a free agent.
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