The Los Angeles Dodgers made their first move with a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in place on Thursday night, but it was a signing they could have completed at any point during the MLB lockout.
Left-handed relief pitcher Daniel Zamora has become the latest player to join the Dodgers organization, he announced on Twitter. Zamora last pitched for the Seattle Mariners during the 2021 season, but was limited to just 4.1 innings before being outrighted and becoming a free agent.
Although 28-year-old has thrown 22 innings in his Major League career over parts of three seasons, the contract is a Minor League deal, according to Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic:
Appeared in the bigs for the Mariners in 2021. Minor league deal, per source. https://t.co/Gmuahpi9dv
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) March 11, 2022
Zamora was originally selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 40th round of the 2015 Draft but he was traded to the New York Mets in 2018 for another Minor League pitcher.
Zamora ended up making his MLB debut in 2018 for the Mets and showed some promise in a small sample size. He struck out 16 hitters per nine innings and posted a 3.00 ERA with a 2.38 FIP, however it only came in nine frames.
The following season was not as kind as he posted a 5.19 ERA and saw his strikeout rate cut in half while his walk rate increased. However, it was once again in a small sample of 8.2 innings.
Zamora had his next Major League stint in 2021 with the Mariners but struggled again to a 6.23 ERA and 5.48 FIP, this time in 4.1 innings.
He elected free agency in November and then signed with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican Baseball League.
Zamora adds to long list of Dodgers Minor League signings
While the Dodgers were unable to sign Major League players during the MLB lockout, they remained busy by adding multiple Minor League players to fill out their organization.
Their most notable move was signing Robbie Erlin, who has pitched parts of seven seasons at the Major League level, most recently with the Atlanta Braves in 2020.
In addition, L.A. signed José Adames, Sam Gaviglio, Cole Duensing, Stefen Romero, Tomas Telis, Eddy Alvarez, Jason Martin, Beau Burrows and Yefry Ramirez to Minor League contracts throughout the offseason.
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