Dodgers Way Quick Hits: d’Arnaud, Orlando, Ferguson, Seager

Just five days after signing him to one year deal, the Dodgers traded catcher and utilityman Travis d’Arnaud to the Ray for cash considerations.

The deal was surprising more because of the brevity of d’Arnaud’s tenure in Los Angeles than the actual trade itself.

The Dodgers signed d’Arnaud after the struggling backstop was released by the Mets on May 2. Three days later, May 5, the Dodgers signed him and on May 10, not even a week later, they traded him to Tampa Bay.

The move was sensible for both teams. The Dodgers got cash back from the Rays and the Rays will be able to add a catcher to their roster after having lost both of theirs to injury. Regular starter Mike Zunino headed to the IL with a quadricep injury that will sideline him for three weeks and backup Michael Perez hit the shelf just a few days earlier with an oblique injury.

In d’Arnaud the Rays get a low-risk batter that is yet to turn the corner in 2019. He is affordable and, for the next three weeks, he should be able to play stop-gap for a Rays team that has gotten off to an incredible and AL East-leading start to the season.

For the Dodgers, the move was not roster altering. Rockey Gale should have no problem replicating d’Arnaud’s potential output offensively and plays a gold glove-caliber defense behind the plate.

Gale was added to the roster directly following d’Arnaud’s trade and figures to remain there for the foreseeable future with his roster spot not in immediate need.

Dodgers Way had more on that story here.