Dodgers releasing Dellin Betances marks another bullpen signing flop

Whoops, looks like we forgot to add this one into the “pointless moves” list! Sorry about that, Los Angeles Dodgers fans. But on Wednesday, it was revealed on the transaction wire that the team had released reliever Dellin Betances.

Back in April, the Dodgers signed the former New York Yankees star to a minor-league contract and he reported to the Arizona Complex League in June after spending time at the team facility.

Betances joined a long list of recent relievers the Dodgers thought they could either save from poor play or rehabilitate from injury. Tommy Kahnle, Danny Duffy and Jimmy Nelson were the ones dating back to last year and 2020.

This year, the Dodgers have also brought in Heath Hembree, Pedro Baez and Hansel Robles, all of whom are performing poorly (or just not good enough) at Triple-A. So now they’re, what, 0-for-7 with trying to wake up these veterans in some capacity?

Betances has pitched in 13.1 innings of work since the start of 2019. He’s had a 7.82 ERA and 1.97 WHIP. The right-hander contributing to the Dodgers in 2022 was always a longshot.

The Dodgers failed yet again (but not really) with the Dellin Betances signing

In the end, Betances, across 19 minor-league games, finished with an 0-3 record, 10.26 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 16.2 innings of work. That’s sadly not going to cut it, and it’s evident Betances has been unable to bounce back from his Achilles tear a few years ago.

The Dodgers can work magic more often than not, but they can’t work miracles, especially with this many over-the-hill relievers. Maybe just … sign proven guys because you have the money and it’s a more steadfast solution?

These kinds of moves don’t necessarily hurt the team, but it feels like a giant waste of time that provides false hope.

The Dodgers bullpen is never a disaster, but it’s always shaky. Just look at it right now. Look at it even when Kenley Jansen was locking it down in the ninth inning. This could very well be a problem come October.

Perhaps it’s time to make real bullpen investments instead of ones that turn to pixie dust.

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