The Dodgers have designated reliever Brian Wilson for assignment, and are being very honest about why they are doing it. Wilson was signed by the previous regime, so president Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi have no ties to him, and with the Dodgers’ seemingly endless coffers, they also don’t see the point in being tied to him just because he was set to make almost $10 million in 2015.
Brian Wilson designated for assignment by Dodgers
He still gets his $9.5 million, but it won’t come to him in a Dodgers’ uniform.
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Zaidi stated that the Dodgers did not feel that Wilson was “one of the best seven reliever options” on the roster, and more than implied that they don’t mind paying Wilson $9.5 million to be somewhere besides their 40-man roster. Wilson will likely end up as part of another organization before too long, however, as the Dodgers have to pick up the tab either way. Brian Wilson for $9.5 million is a disaster waiting to happen, both on the field and financially. Wilson for the league minimum while the Dodgers shoulder the rest of the load? Plenty of teams will risk the danger that he has nothing left on the mound, just in case he does, and with minimal financial impact to their own plans either way.
While Wilson was a mess in 2014, he showed flashes of his old self in his brief 2013 campaign, which set up his new contract with a player option for 2015 in the first place. After his awful season, he picked up his end of the option, withdrawing $9.5 million from the Dodgers no matter what they planned on doing with him. As relievers tend to be fickle creatures from season to season, Wilson might end up thriving elsewhere. The Dodgers have other arms, though, and wanted this roster spot open at Wilson’s expense over anyone else’s, so off he goes and in comes Brandon McCarthy, once the Dodgers add him to the 40.
See More:
