Reyes Moronta’s first season with the Dodgers appears to be over. Moronta, who was designated for assignment on Saturday to make room for the return of Dustin May, has been claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Moronta had an up-and-down season in Los Angeles, putting up zeroes in 14 of his 22 appearances but also tying a Dodgers record for a reliever by allowing home runs in four straight appearances and posting a mediocre overall ERA of 4.18.
Moronta also had a more literal up-and-down season, being optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City four different times this season. Realistically, he was not likely to have a spot on the Dodgers’ postseason roster unless several things went drastically wrong, which was why he was expendable when the Dodgers needed to make room on their 40-man roster to activate May from the 60-day injured list.
It was always unlikely that Moronta would clear waivers, because he still has options available so it’s less of an immediate commitment for the team claiming him. The DBacks make sense, as their 4.23 bullpen ERA ranks 25th in the big leagues this year. Moronta is three years removed from the last time he was a solid, dependable reliever, but Arizona isn’t playing for anything but pride this season so he’s a reasonable guy to take a flyer on.
Moronta has one year of team control left after 2022, and he will also have one option year left. That means he will likely bounce back and forth between Phoenix and Triple-A Reno next season, if he remains in the Diamondbacks organization.
Farewell, Reyes, and good luck (except when you play the Dodgers).
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