Tuesday, the Dodgers sent left-hander T.J. McFarland to the A’s in exchange for cash. McFarland was later upgraded to Oakland’s 40-man roster after being invited to Dodgers camp as a non-roster invitee this spring.
On January 22, McFarland signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers, and he was a part of the squad at Camelback Ranch during the entirety of spring camp in Arizona. In seven Cactus League games, the seasoned left-hander performed admirably, giving up just one run until his last appearance. In six and a half innings of spring training, he gave up three runs (one earned) on four hits, seven strikeouts, and no walks.
McFarland did not play in the Dodgers’ opening two games against the Angels, despite being one of numerous minor leaguers listed on the team for the Freeway Series.
McFarland has a far greater chance of getting into the big leagues and even getting playing time with Oakland. With the exception of three career appearances in relief, the left-hander, who turns 35 in June, has pitched in the majors throughout each of the previous 11 seasons, totaling 474 innings in 354 games. Throughout his major league career, McFarland has played for the Orioles, D-backs, A’s, Cardinals, and Mets. He has a 4.14 ERA, 102 ERA+, 279 strikeouts, and 154 walks.
In 2020, McFarland pitched for the A’s before, and he also made his first postseason appearances in that campaign. Strangely enough, Dodger Stadium hosted the two American League Division Series games as part of the peculiar neutral-site postseason following the pandemic-shortened season, which drew largely empty crowds. In the ninth inning of a tie game, McFarland, a pitcher for the Cardinals at the time, gave a two-out walk to Cody Bellinger in his other postseason match, which was also played at Dodger Stadium. Future Dodgers pitcher Alex Reyes relieved McFarland after he gave Chris Taylor a walk-off, two-run home run. McFarland lost his mind about it.
