Dodgers lose left-handed reliever Randy Choate to Cardinals
They come, they go, and sometimes they come and go in a hurry.
Say hasta la vista to left-hander Randy Choate, who reportedly signed a three-year deal with the Cardinals on Wednesday for $7.5 million.
Which goes to show you, those Richie Rich Dodgers are not going to sign every free agent they desire.
Choate came over in a midseason trade with Hanley Ramirez from the Marlins, and like deadline-acquisition Shane Victorino from the previous day, has now shown to be a simple two-month rental.
General Manager Ned Colletti said after the season he wanted to bring Choate back, which made perfect sense given he was an effective left-handed, situational reliever for the Dodgers and that their only returning veteran lefty in the bullpen was Scott Elbert, who’s coming off elbow surgery.
But the left-handed reliever market was thinned considerably Wednesday when Choate signed with the Cards and the Angels acquired Sean Burnett for two years at $8 million.
Choate, 36, had a 4.05 earned-run average in 38 games for the Dodgers. His ERA is particularly misleading since he normally came in to face one left-handed batter. He gave up only one run in his last 13 appearances.
Despite his years, there are not a lot of innings on that arm. In a major-league high 80 overall games last season, he pitched only 38 2/3 innings.
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