Dodgers Move On From the Chris Hatcher Experiment
The Dodgers made a small trade today, but one that might have a bigger reaction than you’d think.
The Dodgers have reportedly traded away relief pitcher Chris Hatcher to the Oakland Athletics, and for his services, the A’s have given the Dodgers international bonus money.
Hatcher’s departure is a big deal, just not in the way you would think. While this move may not have any big implications for this current season, or ever, Hatcher was the opposite of a fan favorite in Tinseltown, so his exit is a sight for sore eyes.
Hatcher, 32, was having another disappointing season, to say the least, in blue. He pitched just 36.2 innings for Los Angeles this year and had an ugly 4.66 ERA. Since being traded for back before the 2015 season, Hatcher has had ERAs of 3.69, 5.53 and of course this season’s 4.66, while battling injury issues each season.
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He has always had good hard stuff, but just quite never put it all together. He went from closing during his first game as a Dodger to eventually becoming a designated mop-up pitcher. He was just so untrustworthy and it felt like he gave multiple runs every outing, and usually, that was true.
There were times where he’d come in when the Dodgers had a lead bigger than three, but he would still look shaky, make the game closer than it had to be and have LA fans holding their breath with such a significant lead. If you thought Pedro Baez was dangerous and untrustworthy in 2015 and 2016, then you had not heard of Chris Hatcher.
His absence also opens up a spot on the roster. When Hatcher was reinstated this past weekend, Kyle Farmer was optioned to Triple-A, leaving Los Angeles with a three-man bench. In Hatcher’s spot, Rob Segedin, who was just reinstated from the DL, has been called up.
With Adrian Gonzalez also set to be reinstated this weekend, this move makes things a little bit easier to sort out. The safest bet is for Segedin to get sent down to Triple-A again.
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Whatever the case, at least we can stop whining about Chris Hatcher.