Dodgers Agree to Two Minor League Deals

On January 6th, the Dodgers signed veteran catcher, Bobby Wilson to a minor league deal. Then today, the Dodgers agreed to another minor league deal with right handed reliever, Steve Geltz.

Everyone wants a blockbuster signing or trade. They’re fun to write and read about. But the minor league affiliates need players too! Enter Bobby Wilson and Steve Geltz.

Yesterday, the Dodgers signed catcher Bobby Wilson to minor league contract.

Today, Matt Eddy reported that the Dodgers also signed reliever Steve Geltz to a minor league contract.

Don’t worry, I understand that both these moves are boring. No one wants to read about two minor league signings. But right now, the Dodgers seem to be relatively done for the winter. Maybe we’ll learn something about these two players that just became part of the Dodger family.

Dodgers Contract Value Series: Evaluating Rich Hill’s Contract: As we continue to breakdown each of the Dodgers’ major transactions this off season we look towards returning Dodger Rich Hill and his new 3 year/$48m deal.

Bobby Wilson is a 33 year old catcher that spent a number of years fluttering between AAA and the major league level. He’s certainly below average offensively, but his work behind the plate is probably the reason behind this acquisition.

Statcorner.com provides fairly reliable numbers of pitch framing numbers for catchers. Granted, it’s not a completely researched subject so there’s certainly noise behind the numbers, but they’re generally useful. In his time at the major league level, he consistently rates as average to above average in terms of pitch framing.

Wilson will definitely start the year in AAA for the Dodgers. Don’t expect him to ever make the professional roster barring any injury catastrophe. He’s a depth piece to provide support and leadership to the younger guys in the minors.

Moving on to the 29 year old Steve Geltz. His first full professional season came in 2015 with the Tampa Bay Rays. Over 76.1 IP he carried a 3.74 ERA with 8.15 K/9 and 3.48 BB/9. None of these numbers are that compelling, and advanced statistics weren’t that high on him either. His 4.11 FIP is unimpressive, and his accumulation of 0.2 WAR is even less so.

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Like Wilson, Geltz will start the year in AAA. However, his path to the majors is more open than Wilson’s. The Dodgers bullpen is still unfinished, so depending on how he pitches, he may end up on the professional roster.

Both of these moves are menial. They won’t mean much to the actual major league roster, but the Dodgers’ affiliate teams need players on their rosters, too. Welcome to the Dodgers Bobby Wilson and Steve Geltz!