Dodgers: Why Matt Beaty Was Designated For Assignment
At the end of the day, you have to remember that big-league teams are very much a business. And sometimes decisions that are made cannot be taken too personally, especially in a cut-throat industry like Major League Baseball. But generally speaking, the Dodgers do a pretty good job of taking care of their players.
But when Matt Beaty got designated for assignment on Wednesday afternoon, you could feel a little of the sadness from fans. Beaty wasn’t a starter for the Dodgers nor did he have an exceptional role with the team.
But his kind demeanor and the way that he went about paying won over a lot of fans in Los Angeles. A 300 hitter at the minor league level, Beaty never got a real opportunity with the Dodgers. He would constantly slide into a bench role and rarely got a runway to do anything with his talent.
Dave Roberts explained the decision to cut ties with Beaty after their Spring game against the Guardians.
“If you look at the construction of our roster, the runway he potentially would get, it just wasn’t going to happen for him here with us.”
Beaty earned just 116 starts as a member of the Dodgers. Most of his appearances came via pinch-hit roles, where he hit just .222 in 135 plate appearances. Interestingly enough, Doc often pointed to his value off of the bench versus as a starter. When he did start games for the Dodgers though, Beaty slashed .275/.335/.440 and excelled.
Dodgers Related: Doc Maintains Faith in Gavin Lux
But the opportunity seemingly was not there. The Dodgers added in Hanser Alberto, a much-needed righty bat off of the bench. The addition of a few prospects onto the 40-man for this season made it that much more difficult to keep him around.
But now, Beaty should get his chance. The Dodgers can trade him or place him on waivers, and he should get a shot at a real big-league opportunity with another team. Best of luck Matt, you were one of the good ones.
Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw Mixes in Change-Up During Spring Outing
Gonna miss Beatty. Cool dude and he deserves a real shot to play on a regular basis. Best of luck Matt!
Good Luck !
The best deals I have ever made in my life were the ones that didn’t happen. This just opens up a place where a new opportunity can lead you to great things !?
I never understood why he didn’t get more playing time. I also can’t understand why the frong office wants to keep spending moneh when fheh have the chips to make trades.
Why not package Beatty and some other players we won’t use and get a pitcher or low level prospects? Or I imagine Beatty McKinstry and some combination of our prospects could have gotten Olsen or Chapman or Montas.
Matt Beaty got screwed. With 28 roster spots, he earned one of them!
I agree. He should have been in the starting lineup. Could have played 1st base and save the Dodgers a ton of money. They did the same stupid thing letting Verdugo go instead of keeping him and not signing the rip off 300 million dollar man.
Roberts had a bone to pick with Beaty for some reason. When a spot opened on the roster he would call up anybody but Beaty and same held true when a replacement for an injured player came up or a pinch hitter. Never understood it.
Roberts finally got his wish to get Beatty dismissed. It’s obvious, given the way he used Beatty. And then the knucklehead goes out and guarantees a world series win for 2022. Not that the two go together, but given the penchant for injuries last year, getting rid of Beatty and guaranteeing a world series ring seems a bit goofy. Does Roberts have something on the front office that allows him to continue to occupy a position he seems to not quite grasp?