The Los Angeles Dodgers officially announced the signing of Cole Hamels to a one-year contract. Yefry Ramirez was designated for assignment in order to make room for Hamels on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster.
It’s unclear when the southpaw will join the team, but manager Dave Roberts identified what benefit would come from the Dodgers signing another starting pitcher amid injuries to Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw.
“I think it certainly would be helpful,” Roberts said an hour before the signing was finalized. “Obviously adding Max (Scherzer), and having Walker (Buehler) and Julio (Urias), and David (Price) has really stepped up and given us huge innings.
“To lose Tony and Clayton for the time being, to have a guy you know you can trust and go deep in games, is important. We’ve always talked about depth, and specifically to pitching, I think we’ve tapped into that depth where we’re at right now.”
In addition to Gonsolin and Kershaw, the Dodgers are without Dustin May (Tommy John surgery) and Trevor Bauer (investigation into alleged sexual assault). Bauer’s administrative leave is set to expire Friday, but will likely be extended a fourth time.
As for Hamels, he is back in the Majors after making just one start for the Atlanta Braves last season. He signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the Braves in December 2019 but was effectively lost for the shortened season because of left shoulder inflammation and fatigue.
The Dodgers were among the teams that attended Hamels’ showcase last week. There were reports he pitched well and with a fastball that averaged 90 mph, however, the 37-year-old did not receive Major League contract offers.
The 2008 National League Championship Series and World Series MVP has spent his 15-year career thus far with the Philadelphia Phillies, (2006-15), Texas Rangers (2015-18), Chicago Cubs (2018-19) and Braves (2020).
In his last full season in 2019, Hamels went 7-7 with a 3.81 ERA over 27 starts for the Cubs.
Ramirez provided relief for Dodgers
Ramirez is now on waivers after appearing in just one game for the Dodgers. He was called up for the finale of last weekend’s series against the Arizona Diamondbacks as the Dodgers faced the challenge of reaching an off day with a taxed bullpen.
Ramirez gave them a boost by throwing two scoreless innings. “I just loved the way he was throwing strikes,” Roberts said after the win. “He was attacking. Fastball, slider, changeup. I just met him this morning.
“For him to go out there and pitch two innings to save some of the guys, I was really proud of him.”
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