Fans are standing on pins and needles to see who the Dodgers will sign or re-sign, but there has to be an available spot to do so. Los Angeles outrighted Charlie Culberson to free space on its 40-man roster, according to multiple reports.
Culberson has the reputation of a utilityman, but he didn’t see much time on the diamond in 2016. The 27-year-old made just 68 plate appearances for the boys in blue. He can rejected being outrighted, but he would forfeit $550k in guaranteed salary.
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#Dodgers outrighted Charlie Culberson to AAA roster. Clears a spot on their 40-man roster for ……. someone else
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) December 9, 2016
While this is no certainty something is on the horizon, it would be odd for the Dodgers to risk losing Culberson unless a corresponding move is lined up.
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If Culberson is finished in a Dodger uniform, he will be remembered for his performance in Vin Scully’s final home game against the Colorado Rockies. He collected three hits and a 10th inning walk-off homer for Scully’s last call at Dodger Stadium, a dinger that secured the National League West.
Did the Dodgers make the right move?
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There would be no reason to make the Culberson move unless we were about to make an acquisition or trade. If it were signing Turner I would have expected it to happen already so I’m guessing Dodgers are waiting results of physicals on players to be acquired in a trade.