For as much attention as Major League Baseball free agency garners, it’s important to keep in mind the process extends into the Minors. Although the caché doesn’t necessarily match that found in the Majors, the farm system is a vital lifeline for MLB organizations.
The Dodgers recently began to reap the early benefits of replenishing their Minor League depth, as Joc Pederson and Corey Seager played crucial roles for the club last season.
They’re importance figures to grow moving forward, with Jose De Leon, Julio Urias and Alex Verdugo among those waiting in the wings.
The Dodgers will need to do some work if they hope to retain some of their depth as Juan Jaime, Kyle Jensen, Matt West and a slew of others are now free agents, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America:
RHP: Daniel Corcino (AA), Chad Gaudin (AAA), Juan Gonzalez (AAA), Garrett Gould (AA), Jairo Heredia (AA), Juan Jaime (AAA), Deck McGuire (AAA), Luis Meza (Hi A), Steve Smith (AA), Daniel Tillman (AA), Ramon Troncoso (AAA), Matt West (AAA)
LHP: Ramon Benjamin (AA), Ryan Dennick (AA), Jose Molina (Hi A), Dustin Richardson (AAA)
C: Ralph Henriquez (AAA), Webster Rivas (AA), Ali Solis (AAA), Shawn Zarraga (AAA)
2B: Elliot Johnson (AAA)
3B: Buck Britton (AAA), Jarek Cunningham (AA), Daniel Mayora (AA)
SS: Faustino Oguisten (R), Nate Samson (AAA)
OF: Brian Burgamy (AA), Kyle Jensen (AAA), Travis Witherspoon (Hi A)
Of the group, only West appeared with the Dodgers last season. He threw a combined three scoreless innings and had two strikeouts over two games against the San Francisco Giants in June.
Jaime was acquired in the May trade that sent Juan Uribe to the Atlanta Braves. Chad Gaudin was among the relievers the Dodgers looked at in Spring Training, and Buck Britton was an early addition to the organization shortly after Andrew Friedman assumed his post as Dodgers president of baseball operations.
