Veteran right-handed pitcher Chris Stratton, who was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week, has cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City. However, Stratton has rejected his outright assignment, instead electing to enter free agency.
More news: MLB Power Rankings – Yankees Fall, Mets and Dodgers Rise Stratton signed a major league deal with the Dodgers on May 25 as the team was looking for bullpen help amid their rash of injuries.
Stratton ended up making two appearances with the reigning World Series champions, allowing two earned runs in three innings of work for a 6.00 ERA.
Stratton was then designated for assignment on Monday when the team made a trade and another roster move to shuffle their bullpen.
Dodgers Acquire Pitcher From Mariners in 2-Player Trade Stratton will now head back to free agency to look for his next home.
The 34-year-old began the season with the Kansas City Royals – where he also spent the 2024 season – sporting a 7.94 ERA over 12 appearances. Last year, he had a 5.55 ERA across 57 appearances in Kansas City.
Stratton was initially a first-round pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2012. He debuted in 2016 and spent three seasons of his career with San Francisco before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the 2019 season.
The Angels traded Stratton to the Pittsburgh Pirates midway through the 2019 season.
He was then with Pittsburgh until 2022, when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.
At the 2023 trade deadline, Stratton was traded again, this time to the Texas Rangers. He played a key role in Texas’s bullpen in their 2023 World Series run.
Now, he’ll look to continue his career with another team, and shouldn’t have much trouble finding a minor league opportunity that could turn into a major league one.
Stratton has six pitches in his arsenal, mainly using a four-seam fastball, curveball, changeup and slider while also mixing in a sinker and sweeper.
While he’s struggled this season, he is in the 90th percentile of average exit velocity and the 81st percentile in hard-hit percentage.
It shouldn’t be long before Stratton joins another team and contributes to their bullpen – he’ll likely just hope to get a longer stay at his next stop.
