The Los Angeles Dodgers capped off a busy Tuesday by trading Minor League catcher Stevie Berman to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Andrew Vasquez. The deal was completed during the Dodgers’ eventual comeback win over the Atlanta Braves.
Neither Berman nor Vasquez were on the 40-man roster, which made the Minor League trade a possibility. Furthermore, because it was finalized roughly 10 minutes before 12 a.m. ET, Vasquez is eligible to appear in the postseason for the Dodgers.
That applies to all players with an organization before Sept. 1, regardless of whether or not they currently are on the 40-man roster.
Vasquez was originally selected out of Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., by the Kansas City Royals in the 44th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. However, he elected to attend college and was later taken by the Twins in the 32nd round of the 2015 Draft.
The left-hander made his MLB debut with the Twins during the 2018 season, appearing in nine games. He went 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA, 3.36 FIP and 1.40 WHIP, while collecting seven strikeouts over five innings.
Vasquez then appeared in one game for Minnesota in 2019, when he allowed three runs and didn’t retire any of the three batters faced. The soon-to-be-28-year-old sported a 4-0 record and 3.61 ERA over 33 games for Triple-A St. Paul this year.
Command remains an issue for Vasquez, who has a 12.1% walk rate and has hit 13 batters in the Minors this season. However, he also holds a 37.4% strikeout rate, 61.8% groundball rate, and been tough on left-handed hitters to the tune of a .074/.242/.130 batting line.
Berman had been with the Dodgers since the organization selected him out of Santa Clara University in the 31st round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
Berman has spent spent most of this year with Double-A Tulsa, where he hit just .165/.309/.235 with five doubles, one home run and nine RBI. Berman additionally went 1-for-9 in two games with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Dodgers claimed Jewell, Meisinger
Several hours before their trade with the Twins, the Dodgers claimed Jake Jewell and Ryan Meisinger off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. The team is yet announce corresponding 40-man roster moves for the additions of the two relief pitchers.
Jewell went 0-2 with a 9.90 ERA in 10 games for the Cubs this season. In 23 games for Triple-A Iowa, he went 2-1 with four saves and 2.78 ERA.
Jewell has spent parts of three years in the Majors with the L.A. Angels (2018-2019) and Cubs, going a combined 0-3 with a 7.75 ERA across 31 games. Jewell appeared in a career-high 18 games for the Angels in 2019, pitching to a 6.84 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.
Meisinger didn’t earn a decision while posting a 12.27 ERA across seven appearances for the Cubs this year. He’s spent time in the Majors with the Baltimore Orioles (2018), St. Louis Cardinals (2019) and Cubs (2021), going a combined 2-1 with a 7.26 ERA.
Jewell and Meisinger are candidates to join the Dodgers on Wednesday now that active rosters have expanded to 28 players.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated the club’s initial moves would be to add new arms to the bullpen.
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