Dodgers Make Flurry of Roster Moves; Protect 5 from Rule-5 Draft

The Dodgers have announced that they are adding prospects: Keibert Ruiz, Yadier Alvarez, Edwin Rios, Josh Sborz and Matt Beaty to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from the Rule-5 draft. To make space for the five additions, the Dodgers designated pitchers Erik Goeddel and Zac Rosscup and infielder Tim Locastro for assignment while giving Tom Koehler his unconditional release.

The Dodgers addition of Ruiz was expected. Ruiz is supposed to be the catcher of the future for the Dodgers and this is just another step along the way to that happening. The other four, however, were interesting cases and could have gone either way.

Yadier Alvarez is arguably the most controversial of the bunch. The 22-year old pitcher has had his fair share of issues both on and off the field. Behavioral problems have taken Alvarez out of the mix for improvement along with an already alarming bunch of statistics. But, it appears the Dodgers do not want to give up just yet on their $16 million investment.

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Edwin Rios and Matt Beaty were the most interesting additions to the roster as the two of them are on the older end of the prospect spectrum. Rios (24) and Beaty (25) are two of the most powerful hitters on the farm for the Dodgers. In 2017, Beaty won the Texas League MVP award and Rios has hit a combined 34 home runs over the last two seasons. Both players dealt with injuries over the course of 2018 but, in my opinion, are fantastic adds to the Dodger roster. Both have the potential to be contributors off the bench and Rios could have some serious trade appeal for an AL team.

Lastly, Josh Sborz is the most unknown name on this list but that should change with the move to the 40-man. Sborz, a 24-year old right-handed pitcher spent time in both Double and Triple-A in 2018. The righty was effective at both levels although his numbers did regress upon hitting Triple-A. For a team that struggles with injuries, Sborz could be a nice security blanket that can be added to the bullpen on a moments notice.

The Dodgers improved their roster with these adds. Some of them are a bit farther away from seeing the majors than others but the five prospects added to the 40-man are improvements from those DFA’d. The Dodgers took a step towards getting even younger and, with youth comes talent.