Giants swipe minor-league pitcher from Dodgers after huge bounce-back year

The losses — both monumental and minute — continue to pile up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, even during a lockout. Their lone gains before the baseball world shut down were Chris Taylor, Andrew Heaney and Daniel Hudson … if we can even call those gains based on who’s been lost and who’s expected to be.

Corey Seager and Max Scherzer are gone. Kenley Jansen isn’t expected to return. Clayton Kershaw’s future is unclear. Far too much is up in the air for fans to be comfortable with.

And in case you wanted to be annoyed even further, the San Francisco Giants stole a minor league pitcher from the Dodgers last week. It’s not anything that’ll shake the franchise to its core, but it’s possible LA just prepared this pitcher for a breakout season.

Last May, the Dodgers signed right-hander Bryan Brickhouse to a minor-league contract and he spent the year in Double-A Tulsa. For a guy who’s largely been stumbling since being drafted back in 2012, the 2021 campaign was arguably his best to date. And his next steps forward will be with the hated division rivals.

The Giants stole Bryan Brickhouse from the Dodgers after his impressive 2021 season.

Brickhouse appeared in 19 games, 10 of which were starts, tossed a career-high 60 innings, and showed that his “stuff” could play at the next level with the right guidance. We’re not sure what got lost in translation here or why the Dodgers didn’t think his presence at Triple-A come 2022 would’ve been valuable given the bullpen losses to date (and others that are expected), but it’s clear the Giants saw the potential and are hoping to use his 2021 showing to their advantage.

When you look at Brickhouse’s story, you’d be even more confused as to why the Dodgers didn’t prioritize this during a time when … only minor-league player transactions are permitted.

Just a few years ago, Brickhouse thought his career was over after multiple elbow surgeries. He was nervous to pitch because of the pain. He left baseball, embraced yoga, and avoided taxing upper body workouts in order to preserve his arm. He didn’t throw a single pitch in 2016 or 2017, and returned in 2018, reaching Triple-A for the first time since 2019.

The former third-round pick is now 29 years old and hasn’t pitched a single MLB inning, but he’s determined to achieve what he set out to do nearly a decade ago. If his dreams do come to fruition, the Dodgers will have been a crucial chapter in his journey.

But it’s quite possible we’re watching his ultimate highlights with the Giants. And that’ll be painful.

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