One of Andrew Friedman's greatest fleeces as the Los Angeles Dodgers' president of baseball operations was trading Matt Beaty to the San Diego Padres in exchange for a then-little-known prospect named River Ryan in March 2022.
At the time, Ryan — an 11th-round pick for the Padres in 2021 — was unranked in San Diego's pipeline, given that he had yet to make his professional debut and was taken so deep in the draft. He went on to log 47⅔ innings between Single- and High-A for the Dodgers while posting a 2.45 ERA in 2022. Come the end of 2023, he was a top-15 prospect in the Dodgers organization.
Beaty, meanwhile, had the worst season of his career in 2022, hitting a paltry .093 with a .333 OPS in just 20 games for the Friars. He was last seen with an MLB organization in 2024, on a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, before being released at the end of the season.
This year, Ryan was one of the three pieces of the Dodgers' trade for Tarik Skubal with the Detroit Tigers, and Beaty recently announced his retirement with a lengthy Instagram post.
Former Dodger Matt Beaty, catalyst for the Tarik Skubal trade, announces retirement
The Dodgers' trade for Skubal might very well end up being a fleece, too. Reporting suggests that the Tigers were dead-set on receiving a package specifically from the Dodgers, and all they got away with was a promising but very injured pitcher, one of LA's more dispensable top outfield prospects, and a lottery ticket.
Ryan was on the IL with a hamstring strain when he was traded to the Tigers, and has yet to begin a rehab assignment. If Detroit was hopeful he would be able to join their rotation in September and help give them a fighting chance at a Wild Card spot, they're probably recalibrating their expectations now.
Skubal hasn't looked exactly as advertised since he came over from the Tigers, but he's been getting rave reviews from his teammates and Dave Roberts and continues to improve with every start. To no one's surprise, the Dodgers are still viewed as the frontrunner to sign him in free agency.
And to think — it all started with one of the Padres' most underrated but regrettable trades in this decade (and they've had their fair share of those). To Beaty: thank you for your service and enjoy your retirement.
