The Los Angeles Dodgers are nearing an agreement on a big-league contract with reliever Shane Greene, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
Greene, 32, was recently released by the Atlanta Braves after making 19 appearances this season. He didn't fare well in those outings, accumulating an 8.47 ERA (55 ERA+) and a 1.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His average exit velocity against (90.9 mph) also represents the worst mark of his career during the Statcast era.
Still, the Dodgers may envision Greene performing better following some alterations to his pitch mix. His sinker, which he's thrown more than 38 percent of the time, has permitted a .481 average against and has generated just four percent whiffs. Conversely, his cutter and slider have each held opponents to an average below .230 while coercing whiffs on more than 25 percent of the swings taken against them. There's a lot of interplay to consider, but Greene would seem better suited by ramping down his sinker usage in favor of those other pitches.
Of course, the Dodgers might not view Greene as some clever upside play; they might instead view him as a necessary addition in light of all the injuries they've experienced. With Cole Hamels recently suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, the Dodgers now have 14 pitchers on the injured list -- or, more than an entire pitching staff. That number doesn't include Trevor Bauer, who remains on administrative leave while Pasadena police and the league office investigate abuse allegations made against him.
The Dodgers' depth has been tested to the point where their bullpen includes two waiver claims (Phil Bickford and Conner Greene), as well as now two pitchers they've signed as free agents over the summer (Greene and Neftalí Feliz). You don't often expect the defending champions to be beachcombing this late in the year, but the Dodgers have little other choice.
