Veteran Relief Pitcher Justin Wilson Reportedly Inks Deal With Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson, FanSided's Robert Murray reported Friday.
According to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya, Wilson landed a minor league contract, along with a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
Wilson is a 36-year-old southpaw who has 11 MLB seasons under his belt. He missed the entirety of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery and other injuries.
Wilson broke into the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2012. He had a successful one-year stint with the New York Yankees in 2015, going 5-0 with a 3.10 ERA, 1.131 WHIP, 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.5 WAR in 74 appearances.
Over the next few years, Wilson hopped around the league, earning two-year stints with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds. He also returned to the Yankees for a brief stretch in 2021.
Wilson underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2022. It appeared as if Wilson would make his return with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023, even earning a call-up in July, but he suffered a season-ending lat injury while warming up in the bullpen.
For his career, Wilson is 33-24 with a 3.41 ERA, 1.285 WHIP, 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings and 7.4 WAR. His 514 appearances from 2013 to 2021 ranked eighth in all of baseball.
The Dodgers are currently slated to enter 2024 with largely the same group of relievers they had at the end of 2023. Wilson, along with long reliever Ryan Yarbrough innings eater Alex Vesia, could be one of Los Angeles' left-handed options at the bullpen.
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