The Dodgers struck a pair of deals on Monday, reaching a two-year agreement with free-agent reliever Ryan Brasier and agreeing to a trade with the Yankees, sources told MLB.com. The club has not confirmed Brasier’s contract or the trade, which will send lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson to New York for a package that includes fellow southpaw Matt Gage.
Brasier’s deal will guarantee him $9 million, and performance bonuses can push the total value of the contract to $13 million, according to a source.
Shortly after being released by the Red Sox in late May, Brasier was picked up by the Dodgers on a Minor League deal. He debuted for L.A. on June 21, and proceeded to have the second-best ERA (0.70) in baseball the rest of the season (min. 30 innings).
It’s been a fascinating career arc for Brasier, who threw nine innings in his debut season with the Angels in 2013. His next MLB pitch didn’t come until 2018 after struggling to pitch his way out of Triple-A and spending the 2017 season with the Hiroshima Carp. Brasier signed a Minor League deal with the Red Sox before the 2018 season and made his Boston debut in July.
Much like he did with the Dodgers, Brasier welcomed himself to his new Red Sox team by pitching like one of the best relievers in baseball in 2018. Brasier posted a top-10 ERA (1.60) among pitchers with at least 30 innings the rest of the way and found himself on the postseason roster. It proved to be a smart choice, with Brasier allowing just one run in 8 2/3 innings on the way to a Red Sox World Series title.
Brasier wasn’t quite as good from 2019-20, dealt with injuries in ‘21 and struggled from 2022-23 before being released by Boston. With the help of his new club, Brasier and the Dodgers implemented a new cutter that helped diversify his arsenal. After pitching as either a two or three-pitch guy most years, he now had a four-pitch mix of a four-seamer, slider, sinker and cutter.
While his strikeout and walk numbers were uninspiring, Brasier was elite when it came to both barrel rate (95th percentile) and chase rate (82nd percentile) in 2023.
