Former Dodgers fan favorite turned Padres trade steal is silently out of baseball

In his only above-replacement season with the Dodgers - his rookie year - Matt Beaty laid the groundwork for what would become his signature in LA. He had 32 plate appearances as a pinch hitter and hit .267 with a .713 OPS, a homer, and six RBI.

In 2021, his last year in LA, he appeared in 120 games, but only got 234 plate appearances as a pinch hitter or substitute utility man in late innings. He was a Quad-A grinder, a guy who occasionally did something amazing. In his last ever at-bat as a Dodger, he hit a three-run homer after entering in the fifth inning. And, of course, he got a World Series win with the Dodgers in 2020.

Beaty was dealt to the Padres, about a week before Opening Day 2022, in exchange for River Ryan who, at the time, was being advertised as a two-way player. The Dodgers had him specialize as a pitcher when he came over to their organization, andRyan's first four major league starts last year were electric; he had a 1.33 ERA before, like multiple other young Dodgers pitchers before him, he underwent Tommy John in August.

Beaty, meanwhile, only played in 20 major league games for the Padres between demotions and battling injuries in 2022 (he hit the 60-day IL just three months after the trade), and he left the organization by the end of the year. He bounced around to a couple others afterwards, but he's been without a home since September 2024.

Former Dodgers utilityman Matt Beaty hasn't re-signed since being released by the Diamondbacks last year

Beaty left the Padres after declining a minor league assignment, then signed a minor-league deal with the Giants, who DFA'ed him in May 2023 after he appeared in just four games. He cleared waivers, but signed another minor-league contract with the Royals through the rest of the season (he appeared in 26 major league games for them) before electing free agency again. He remained a free agent until May 2024, when he returned to the NL West on another minor-league deal with the Diamondbacks, but he didn't resurface in the majors and was released in September.

He has yet to find a new organization, and his Instagram seems to indicate that he's been spending his days golfing with his family. Although it's fair to say the Dodgers still won this trade, given the promise Ryan showed last year, it's sad to see Beaty go out not with a bang but a whimper after he'd endeared himself to the Dodgers organization in his first three years.