LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired reliever Corey Knebel from the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday for a player to be named or cash.
Coming off their first World Series championship since 1988, the Dodgers also agreed with reliever Scott Alexander on a one-year deal for $1 million, avoiding arbitration with the left-hander before Wednesday night's deadline for teams to offer 2021 contracts to their unsigned players.
The 29-year-old Knebel was an All-Star in 2017 and a key part of the Brewers’ bullpen during their run to the 2018 NL Championship Series. The right-hander missed the 2019 season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and struggled after returning last season.
“Corey had a tremendous career as a Brewer,” Milwaukee president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “He pitched in some of the biggest games in the history of this franchise, and he pitched incredibly well in those games. ... Corey’s meant a lot to this franchise. He’s earned the respect of a lot of people around the Brewers, and we wish him very well.”
Knebel’s best season came in 2017, when he went 1-4 with 39 saves and a 1.78 ERA in 76 appearances. He had a 6.08 ERA in 15 games last season.
The 2013 first-round draft pick has a career ERA of 3.31 with 57 saves in 239 relief appearances. He pitched eight games for Detroit in 2014 and had been with Milwaukee ever since.
Alexander was on the Dodgers' opening day roster this year and went 2-0 with a 2.92 ERA. He pitched 12 1/3 innings while appearing in 13 games. He was optioned in early September to the team’s alternate training site, where he spent most of the month.
Alexander wasn’t on any of the Dodgers’ rosters throughout the postseason, which culminated in a World Series victory over Tampa Bay. He has spent three seasons in Los Angeles and had prorated pay of $324,074 last year from an $875,000 salary.
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