Dodgers trade Matt Beaty to Padres in surprising move for both teams

Back on March 23, the Los Angeles Dodgers designated Matt Beaty for assignment, despite the fact the 28-year-old hit .270 with a .765 OPS in 120 games last season.

Was he a savior when the team was in desperate need of production? Not exactly. But it was a very productive campaign for a part-time player who provided familiarity, having been with the organization since 2015 (he was drafted in the 12th round that year).

Fast forward five days later, and Beaty is now a San Diego Padre after the division rivals worked out a trade on Monday morning. And how did we find this out?

The Padres’ official Twitter account, of course. Beaty was added to the Pads’ 40-man roster after pitcher Drew Pomeranz was moved to the 60-day injured list.

The Dodgers have traded Matt Beaty to the Padres

With the addition of Freddie Freeman and the transition of Gavin Lux to a utility role, there was little need for Beaty in LA. The Dodgers now have five players (Freeman, Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, Edwin Rios and Jake Lamb) capable of playing first base in addition to seven others (Bellinger, Lux, Mookie Betts, AJ Pollock, Chris Taylor, Zach McKinstry and Kevin Pillar) roaming the outfield, depending on how the final 28-man roster shakes out.

It’s unclear if there was any interest in Beaty from other teams, but a deal with a division rival suggests that may not have been the case. Any time a team can avoid trading a player to an opponent that will face them 19 times a year, it’s typically avoided.

In return, the Dodgers will import infielder River Ryan from San Diego. He was an 11th round pick out of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in last year’s draft. The 23-year-old made his professional debut in the Padres’ rookie league in 2021 and hit .308 with a .785 OPS in 12 games after a fairly spectacular collegiate career.

In classic Dodgers fashion, they’ll bring in a youngster capable of playing multiple positions (first base, second base, shortstop, third base and PITCHER). Throughout his career, River has proven to be a high-contact, high-OBP bat and owned a 2.32 ERA with 114 strikeouts in 93 career innings at UNC Pembroke.

And now, we’ll wait and see if Andrew Friedman was able to fleece AJ Preller as the weeks and months go by.

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