Dodgers claim former top prospect outfielder after recent Mariners DFA

San Francisco Giants v Seattle Mariners
San Francisco Giants v Seattle Mariners | John E. Moore III/GettyImages

The Dodgers made a few fascinating pickups this offseason, namely Stephen Gonsalves, Jesse Hahn, and Nabil Crismatt — the first two hadn't pitched for any MLB organization (major or minor league) since 2022, and Crismatt was a former Padres go-to guy who got a couple innings in for the Dodgers this past weekend before being DFA'ed again.

They were all hopeful that one, or all, of these folks would be LA's next Evan Phillips or Shelby Miller (currently shoving for the Detroit Tigers), but all three ended up going the way of Oklahoma City.

However, another possible reclamation project is being added to the Dodgers' heap as the calendar turns to April. Per FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, Taylor Trammell, a former top prospect who has never quite found his feet in the majors, was picked up by the Dodgers on Tuesday after being DFA'ed by the Mariners on Friday. In a corresponding move, LA DFA'ed reliever Matt Gage, who came over in the trade that sent Caleb Ferguson to the Bronx.

Dodgers pick up Taylor Trammell, a former top prospect with the Reds, after being DFA'ed by the Mariners

Trammell was a first-round pick for the Reds back in 2016 and rocketed to the No. 2 spot in their pipeline by 2019. He never appeared in the majors for the Reds and was part of the three-team trade that brought Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati that year, which sent Trammell to San Diego. His production dipped significantly in 32 games at Double-A in the Padres organization, and he was traded again to the Mariners in August 2020, where he's been ever since.

He's gone back and forth between the majors and Triple-A in the three seasons since moving to Seattle, and has looked great in the minors, but not so great in the bigs. His best showing with the Mariners was over 43 games in 2022, but he only hit .196/.285/.402. Last year, over 22 games, he hit .130/.286/.326. He didn't make the Opening Day roster this year and was out of minor league options, forcing the Mariners' hand on a DFA.

The Dodgers have resuscitated the careers of seemingly more hopeless players, so Trammell's journey through LA's organization will be one to watch. Maybe they'll be able to bring back the kind of promise that had the Reds picking him up in the first round all those years ago.

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