Dodgers make a couple trades, signings and front office addition

The Dodgers have made a few moves over the last couple days, and we’re here to catch you up on all the happenings.

Player personnel

Yaisel Sierra, reportedly, has a 6-year, $30 million deal with the Dodgers. I wrote about that in-depth on Tuesday.

The Dodgers also made a couple trades. They are as follows:

To Mariners: RHP Joe Wieland
To Dodgers: SS Erick Mejia

Analysis: Wieland, 26 in a week, was about 75th on the starting pitcher depth chart, so sending him somewhere he might have a better chance to pitch in the majors is no big deal. Wieland was on the 40-man roster, so trading him opens up a spot for a new addition — you know, that Sierra fella. The return was probably better than some would expect. Mejia, 21, is basically a younger, possibly better Ronald Torreyes. Chris Crawford said this about Mejia on Twitter.

Mejia is a somewhat interesting return for Wieland. Can run, can play shortstop, gap power. Could be a solid bench option at some point.

— Christopher Crawford (@Crawford_MILB) January 12, 2016

The biggest thing: Can play shortstop. I’m not saying he’s going to be the direct backup to Corey Seager this year, but having that feather in one’s cap is never a bad thing.

… and

To Yankees: SS/2B Ronald Torreyes and LHP Tyler Olson
To Dodgers: IF/OF Rob Segedin

Analysis: Meh. I actually liked Torreyes on some level. He was in my Top 50 before being traded because of his utility and high-contact potential. But he and Olson were designated for assignment last week, and the player they received in return isn’t much more than Triple-A depth. Segedin, 27, hit .287/.360/.426 between Double- and Triple-A last season. For a guy listed at 6’2, 220 pounds, he has just 38 home runs in 1,907 minor-league plate appearances. He’s mostly a corner infielder who has corner outfield experience. He’s nothing more than Oklahoma City roster fodder — and he doesn’t have to be on the 40-man roster.

Finally, a minor-league signing.

Now on https://t.co/kjfLQa8seR Schafer to have shot to pitch at Dodgers' camp: Jordan Schafer the outfielder wil… https://t.co/me53FlGIve

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) January 14, 2016

Analysis: Jordan Schafer, once a top prospect with the Braves, has since been with the Astros and Twins. He’s probably most known for being suspended 50 games for allegedly taking Human Growth Hormone. Schafer denied it and was suspended because of anecdotal evidence.

“Schafer did not test positive for HGH. Rather, he was suspended after Major League Baseball probed anecdotal evidence of HGH use by Schafer, two sources familiar with Schafer’s case told ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney last year.”

So, that’s fun. Of course, that was almost eight years ago and well in the past. Back to the present.

From that Gurnick article, this stood out.

“The Dodgers envision Schafer in a hybrid role as a defense-first center fielder and a left-handed reliever, with the emphasis on pitching. He was a pitcher in high school but has not taken the mound in a professional game.”

Two things:

1. This “defense-first” center fielder has a career -8.1 UZR/150 and -29 defensive runs saved in center
2. He has never pitched in professional ball

Pedro Baez and — to a lesser extent — Kenley Jansen spent considerable time in the minors while converting from hitting to pitching. To expect Schafer to do this on the fly in spring training, and to be a backup center fielder, is unrealistic. He might be able to do it in the minors, but even that’s going to be tough. He’s set to make $1 million if he’s on the major league roster. I think it’s pretty safe to say he won’t be on the major league roster. But hey, points for creativity!

Front office

The Dodgers also hired Alex Anthopolous as their vice president of baseball operations. He joins Andrew Friedman (president of baseball operations), Farhan Zaidi (general manager) and Josh Byrnes (senior vice president of baseball operations).

Quick analysis: Quite the stacked front office. I’m planning to write more in-depth about this hire, so for now, I’ll just say this is a good thing.