It was only a matter of time, but The Athletics have signed a Sacramento native. According to the MiLB.com transactions page, the A's have agreed to terms on a minor-league deal with Tanner Dodson, who was most recently in the Los Angeles Dodgers system.
Dodson, 27, is a right-hander that went to Cal and was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the No. 71 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. Dodson was traded to the Dodgers in March of 2022 in exchange for Luke Raley.
He didn't pitch great in either 2022 or 2023, holding ERAs of 8.25 in 36 Double-A innings, and 4.88 split between Double-A and Triple-A in 66 1/3 innings. He improved vastly in 2024, however, putting together a 3.32 ERA in 62 1/3 innings that spanned 41 appearances. The A's love guys that can go multiple innings.
In his final appearance of the season, Dodson worked one inning, allowed a hit and struck out one. His pitch mix consisted of a 92-95 mph sinker, a low-90s cutter, a mid-80s slider, and a low-80s curve. The sinker appears to be his go-to pitch as he used it half the time, but it was his cutter that earned him the strikeout that evening.
The one big worry with Dodson would have to be his control, with the righty running a walk rate of 15.1% last season with Oklahoma City. That said, since joining the Dodgers in 2022, his walks had actually outpaced his strikeouts at each stop he made, so by comparison, his 20.4% strikeout rate with the 15.1% walk rate is a huge step in the right direction.
While he held a 3.32 ERA in 2024, his FIP was quite a bit higher at 4.96, suggesting that he received a little luck when he was on the mound last season. In fact, his FIP hasn't been sub-4 since he was in High-A in 2021.
Even with the walk rate and the high FIP, the A's have a decent track record of getting production out of the guys that they bring in during November. Last season they signed Vinny Nittoli, claimed Miguel Andujar off waivers, traded for Abraham Toro, signed Jack O'Loughlin, claimed Michael Kelly, signed Daz Cameron, and signed Osvaldo Bido. All of those players spent at least a little time with the A's in Oakland in 2024 and had varying degrees of success in the green and gold.
The big fish that the A's acquired in November came in 2022, when they claimed Brent Rooker off waivers from the Kansas City Royals. Just a couple of days ago he was named a Silver Slugger for the 2024 season.
While Dodson isn't likely to win the Cy Young or anything, when the A's target someone this early into the offseason it generally means that they have a plan for how to make them better. Plus, he'll have the incentive to make his big-league debut back home in Sacramento working for him too, which could serve as a big motivator.
