The Los Angeles Dodgers officially announced their trade for Ryan Madson, sending pitching prospect Andrew Istler to the Washington Nationals in exchange for the veteran reliever.
The Dodgers claimed Madson off revocable waivers, and the teams had 48 hours — so until Friday afternoon — to complete a deal involving the right-hander. In general, players had to be with an organization by the 9 p.m. deadline on Aug. 31 to remain eligible for the postseason.
Madson is a 13-year Major League veteran that is in the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career. In 49 games with the Nationals, he went 2-5 with a 5.28 ERA, 4.35 FIP and 1.42 WHIP while striking out 41 and walking 15 in 44.1 innings.
However, he had a few bad appearances that inflated those numbers. Madson did pitch to a 1.83 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 60 appearances in 2017, and has appeared in 46 career postseason games, posting a 2.85 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 47.1 innings.
With rosters set to expand from 25 to 40 on Saturday, the Dodgers will not have to clear room on the active roster for Madson, should they wait a day. Adam Liberatore was designated for assignment to add Madson to the 40-man roster.
Madson is in the final year of the three-year, $22 million contract that he originally signed with the Oakland Athletics. He has $1.17 million left on his deal, and the Dodgers are expected to pick up the entirety of that while also still remaining below the luxury tax threshold.
The Dodgers drafted Istler in the 23rd round in 2015 out of Duke. The right-hander is not one of the organization’s top 30 prospects but has spent time with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.
Overall in 41 total games (one start), the 25-year-old has gone 4-4 with a 2.37 ERA and 0.89 WHIP between the three levels. He has 73 strikeouts and 19 walks in 79.2 total innings.
