The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Adam Kolarek to a Minor League contract and assigned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City, per the club’s transactions logs. It’s unclear if the deal includes a non-roster invitation to 2023 Spring Training.
The left-handed relief pitcher returns to the organization after being traded to the Oakland Athletics in February 2021. Kolarek was included with Cody Thomas in a deal that sent Sheldon Neuse and Gus Varland from the A’s to the Dodgers.
Neuse was with the Dodgers until getting claimed off waivers by the Athletics this past March. Varland remained part of the Dodgers organization before he was selected off the Double-A Tulsa roster by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 10th pick in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft.
Kolarek returns to the Dodgers after back-to-back subpar seasons with the Athletics. He went a combined 0-1 with a 5.74 ERA, 5.53 FIP and 1.80 WHIP over 27 appearances.
Included in that was a slight improvement in 2022, during which Kolarek pitched to a 4.58 ERA, 4.70 FIP and 1.59 WHIP across 15 games. He had 10 scoreless appearances, which included a stretch of six consecutive games without allowing a run.
While with Triple-A Las Vegas this past season, Kolarek was just 2-3 with two saves, a 6.10 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 37 games. He elected free agency in October.
The Dodgers originally acquired Kolarek from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline during the 2019 season. He primarily was a lefty specialist at the time but was forced to evolve due to MLB implementing a three-batter rule.
The Dodgers remained cautious about using Kolarek against a stretch run of right-handed batters, and he sported a 0.95 ERA in 21 appearances during 2020.
Adam Kolarek among recent Dodgers transactions
Although the Dodgers were not involved with the big free agents during MLB’s Winter Meetings in San Diego, the month of December has seen an uptick in activity for president of baseball operations.
Re-signing Clayton Kershaw to a one-year contract was finalized, and Jason Heyward was added on a Minor League deal. The Dodgers additionally completed trades to acquire J.P. Feyereisen and Yonny Hernández, and Noah Syndergaard reportedly agreed to a $13 million contract for the 2023 season.
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