The Dodgers recently reached agreements with outfielder Jason Martin and right-hander Beau Burrows. Martin’s deal was reported by Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America; Burrows announced his own agreement with Los Angeles on Twitter this evening. Presumably, both contracts are minor league pacts that contain Spring Training invitations.
Martin has appeared in the majors in each of the past three seasons. Part of the Pirates’ four-player return from the Astros in the 2018 Gerrit Cole trade, he only tallied 51 trips to the plate in Pittsburgh over his first two seasons. Martin’s most extensive big league time came this past season when he logged 154 plate appearances with the Rangers. The 26-year-old hit just .208/.248/.354 with six homers in that time, though, and Texas outrighted him off the 40-man roster at the end of the season.
Over parts of three Triple-A campaigns, the Southern California native owns a .243/.315/.412 slash line. Martin has spent the bulk of his minor league time in center field, but the Rangers mostly deployed him in left field at the big league level. A left-handed hitter, Martin will likely try to compete for fourth or fifth outfield duty next spring.
Burrows is a former first-round pick of the Tigers. He made his big league debut with Detroit last year and split the 2021 campaign between the Tigers and division-rival Twins. Burrows’ big league experience consists of just 17 2/3 innings of 10.70 ERA ball, and he’s allowed eight long balls with eleven strikeouts and walks apiece.
The 25-year-old hasn’t fared especially well in Triple-A either, but he’s not far removed from being one of the more well-regarded arms coming up through the Tigers’ organization. He’s pitched reasonably well as a starter up through Double-A and could be viewed as either rotation or bullpen depth for Los Angeles.
The name Beau Burrows sounds like the punk kid with lots of untapped potential in a mediocre baseball film. He is going to LA so maybe the Dodgers can make it based on a true story.
Been saying it since day 1.
he’s m ost famous for vomitting on the mound. yup go look it up.
In Michigan he is most famous for being drafted before Walker Buehler and Mike Soroka.
So the Dodgers gave the the Rangers Zach Reks and Billy McKinney then the Dodgers went and grabbed Jason Martin lol.
I like Martin so I’m interested to see if he gets a crack on the big club this coming season. Good luck Jason.
The talent is there, but not sure he’s going to figure it out. Reminds me of Leonys Martin
He couldn’t crack the Pirates lineup. Need I say more?
Kershaw next
Reks and McKinney had their chances with the Dodgers. Let’s see what the new guys can do if/when they get their chances in LA.
1 year from now: “from throw up mess to bullpen Phenom.” After Dodgers fix Burrows.
Of course the Dodgers are taking on Ranger rejects, /s
This is the way
Well, Max Muncy also a reject though.. Spent a year in OKC and look at him now.. Not bad for a minor league contract..
So was Chris Taylor, soon to sign for 60M+
So was Justin Turner, by the end of his deal he’ll have made more than 90M since coming to LA
You look for talent, and then see if your coaches can unlock something “else” the guy didn’t have before
Taylor was a trade for a prospect that never panned out
I wouldn’t try to make that argument with a completely straight face only days after the Dodgers dumped McKinney and Reks. It’s been years since the Dodgers converted a reject into a real impact player so we can’t talk like it happens all the time. The number of rejects you need to throw back to find a keeper actually matters.
Taylor was a Mariners player that never panned out for them so he was traded to the Dodgers for their first round draft pitcher Zach Lee that never panned out as well.
How about Phil Bickford last year? Another 2015 1st round pick like Beau Burrows. Or Evan Phillips. Or Alex Vesia. You don’t need to hate minor league/fringe acquisitions.. Every team makes them.
I said real impact player for a reason, and the reason is whenever the Dodgers claim another guy off the scrap heap, like clockwork somebody predicts that he’ll be the next Taylor, Muncy, or Turner. That sort of lightening hasn’t struck for years. So understand I’m not talking about a reliever with one serviceable season (Bickford), one for whom they traded someone equally effective (Vesia), or one who’s thrown only a handful of innings (Phillips). Not hating anything, just pointing out reality. The vast majority of these players are nonentities, not the next diamonds in the rough.
Phil Bickford.
Kind of tough to make “real impact” players when there is no place to play them. There has to be an opening for them to fill and there really hast been one in years.
Impact players make their own place to play, that’s how they get to be called impact players. If any team could come up with the next Taylor, Muncy or Turner, they’d play. It’s been four years since the Dodgers last found one, so it might be time to stop expecting the latest scrap heap acquisition to be the next diamond in the rough.
How about Phil Bickford? He is going to be an integral part of the Dodgers 2021 bullpen and was sensual all year after the Dodgers picked him off the scrap heap. Who says they can’t do the same with Martin or Burrows???
I’ve addressed this issue a couple of times already, but never mind, now I’m excited by the prospect of Bickford being sensual all year. I mean we haven’t seen that on the mound since Bartolo Colon retired.
Can you mute people on iPhone?
So was Turner
Barf Burrows
Minor league free agents are usually looking for a clear path to MLB playing time. Which makes signing with a deep squad like LA seem odd.
LA did have a LOT of bullpen turnover last year, and there is no reason you can’t expect some of that again. Every team needs pitching, and you have a chance to contribute with any team if you are a pitcher, LA’s outfield depth is insanely awful. Bellinger might not even deserve a starting role after last year, but even then, if he, Betts, or Pollock get hurt, then McKinstry is next in line. He’s not even an outfielder anyways, and he didn’t hit too good. After that, there is Lux, Beaty, and Neuse, who can’t play outfield either, and Luke Raley, who couldn’t hit at all last year and will probably get non tendered. Martin has a path to playing time should there be an injury.
Replacements for Billy McKinney and Zach Reks .
Something tells me one of these guys will be a breakout. Dodgers always seem to turn trash into treasure.
World Series, here we come.
The Dodgers-Rangers connection continues. I like the pedigree of Burrows but I’m not getting my hopes up.
The Dodgers have a knack for finding once promising players and turning them into good major league talent
I don’t think the Tigers minor league system did much to develop Beau Burrows. He’s been given a break by signing with the Dodgers who I believe can tap into his full potential.
I agree. The Tigers weren’t real good at developing players. But, I do believe that they have improved though. I think them firing their winning AAA manager was due to lack of development. Sure, he could manage. But, the players they were promoting werent MLB ready. See Zac Short, for instance.
It’s too bad that Chris Fetter didn’t join the organization sooner because perhaps he could gave worked with him a little.
Zac Short was an injury call up and had been in the Tigers system for maybe a year. Burrows is a soft tosser who found he needed a fastball when he hit AAA. Burrows reflects on their scouting. Dave D always looked at the fastball. Avila didn’t seem to learn that.
Beau Burrows. Laugh Laugh was his big hit.
.