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Dodgers Reportedly Attempted Trading Erisbel Arruebarrena

Erisbel Arruebarrena

The Los Angeles Dodgers finalized the expected signing of Brett Anderson on Wednesday and in the process designated infielder Erisbel Arruebarrena for assignment to make room for Anderson on the 40-man roster.



While the roster move doesn’t guarantee the end of Arruebarrena’s tenure with the Dodgers, there’s a chance he will make a fourth infielder from the 2014 team who does not return. As his future is currently uncertain, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports the Dodgers previously attempted trading Arruebarrena this winter:

Considering that the Dodgers may have been unable to move the 24-year-old infielder, the chances that a team claims him off waivers may not be high. Arruebarrena signed a five-year, $25 million contract last offseason and any team who makes a claim would be on the hook for the remainder of his deal.

Assuming Arruebarrena isn’t traded within the 10-day timeframe and clears waivers, the Dodgers presumably would send him to Triple-A where he spent a portion of last season. However, they could also opt to eat the remaining salary on his contract and release Arruebarrena, as they did with Brian Wilson.

In 22 games (45 plate appearances) with the Dodgers last season, Arruebarrena hit .195/.244/.220 with one double and four RBIs; of the 22 games, nine were starts. While Arruebarrena struggled at the plate, he’s strong defensively and figures to fit in well with the new front office’s vision.

However, Arruebarrena’s value is slightly diminished with Jimmy Rollins and not Hanley Ramirez now slated to play shortstop. Whereas manager Don Mattingly previously needed to be mindful of having late-game defensive replacements at his disposal, that same concern shouldn’t hold true next season.

Staff Writer

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4 Comments

  1. With Rojas gone, I’m thinking they keep Arruebarrena now. He’s our only backup that can play defense at short. Maybe Barney can, too, but he doesn’t have much experience there.

    1. Barney can play SS in a pinch…so can Turner, but yikes, he’s kinda rough out there. Arruebarrena needs another year in AAA, imo, and he will probably slot in at third. I like his glove and arm, we’ll see if he can figure out big league pitching…I think the Dodgers hang on to him, but if this offseason has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected!

  2. Dont let go arru what ever his name is. His glove is golden and he’ll hit enough given a chance and he’ll make a great backup for Seager

  3. Please don’t ever, EVER play Turner at shortstop. The Dodgers have $20 million invested in Arruebarrena and he saw limited ab’s. Why wouldn’t they hang on to him? It wouldn’t make sense to me.

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