Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
And so ends the Drew Butera … era. The Dodgers traded the light-hitting backup catcher to the Angels on Tuesday for a player to be named later or cash. I’m assuming it’s money, because there’s no way Butera — the catcher or reliever — has any real value on the trade market.
Butera was acquired at the trade deadline 2013 for Miguel Sulbaran (who has since been traded to the Yankees). He provided the Dodgers with exactly what you’d expect — not much. He hit a .186/.263/.282 in 199 plate appearances with the Dodgers and provided about league-average defense behind the plate. He did, however, thrive in three departments with the Dodgers:
- Ping Pong
- Handsomeness
- Relief pitching
Butera played a mean game of ping pong in spring training, he’s quite handsome (especially for a catcher) and he had a memorable relief outing in May.
Also, Conman made a great GIF of him, with perhaps the best nickname for a Dodger in recent memory.
The Dodgers tendered Butera a contract just last week, but have since claimed Ryan Lavarnway off waivers and designated him for assignment.
From Mike: There have been 4,142 non-pitchers to get 700 career plate appearances. Butera ranks near the bottom of said list in wRC+ at No. 4,132 (39 wRC+). He’s really not good at hitting the baseball.
And of course, here’s a great nugget from Eric Stephen of True Blue LA.
Last trade between the Dodgers and Angels involving a major league player was March 31, 1976, with OF Orlando Alvarez for C Ellie Rodriguez
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) December 9, 2014
It was fun, Butters. We’ll always have those two home runs you hit in Minnesota and that time you hit 94 MPH on the radar gun. Expect the Dodgers to continue looking for a starting catcher (I hear there’s this Yasmani Grandal guy down south who might be available … more on that, later, probably).
