Dodgers take chance on electric, but inconsistent arm with minor-league deal

Most of the time, when the Los Angeles Dodgers pick up a player on a minor league deal, there's little (if any) chance that they'll be able to come up to the major league club and make an impact.

There are always a couple of exceptions — Jason Heyward was initially signed to a minor league deal but broke out in spring training — but names like Jesse Hahn and Stephen Gonsalves, who were signed last year, mostly go forgotten.

However, the Dodgers have agreed to a couple of notable minor league deals over the past few days with guys who have seen major league playing time in the last year (unlike Hahn and Gonsalves). The first was with former Cub David Bote, who even signed a five-year, $15 million extension with Chicago in his prime, and now they've signed relief pitcher Matt Sauer, whose deal also includes an invitation to spring training.

Sauer pitched 16 1/3 innings for the Royals this season, a lot of which didn't go particularly well, but he's had a few highlights in the minors, one of which is a 17-strikeout game in 2022 when he was a Yankees prospect.

Former Yankees top prospect Matt Sauer signs a minor league deal with Dodgers

Sauer was a second-round draft pick for the Yankees in 2017, but he didn't get his shot at the majors until this year, after the Royals picked him up in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft. He appeared in relief in 16 games but was rocked a few times in May, with the primary lowlight a one-inning outing against the Rangers during which he gave up five runs. He treated the Royals to another one-inning, three-run appearance on May 19 and was subsequently taken off of Kansas City's roster and returned to the Yankees, per Rule 5 Draft rules.

He struggled again when he returned to the Yankees' Triple-A team, giving up 15 runs in 8 1/3 innings for a 16.20 ERA, and elected free agency at the end of the season.

Sauer hasn't posted great numbers in the minors since 2019, not even when he had that 17-strikeout game at Double-A in 2022, and he's spent a considerable amount of time on the injured list throughout his professional career.

But hey, you never know. The Dodgers enjoyed a couple of surprises this season in Anthony Banda (traded from the Guardians' Triple-A team for cash) and Brent Honeywell Jr. (claimed off of waivers from the Pirates), so Sauer has as good a shot as anyone to make it back to the majors.