David Peralta Signs One-Year, $6.5 Million Contract with Los Angeles Dodgers

David Peralta is heading to the City of Angels

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the 35-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder  have agreed to terms on a one-year, $6.5 million contract, according to ESPN.

David PeraltaThe deal, which is pending the completion of a physical examination, carries incentives that could increase the value to as much as $8 million.

Peralta gives the Dodgers an experienced left-handed hitter who can split time with the right-handed-hitting Chris Taylor and Trayce Thompson in left and center field. Peralta has some experience in center field but has spent the vast majority of his nine-year career in left.

A longtime member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Peralta batted .286/.342/.463 from 2014 to 2021, accumulating 98 home runs, 32 stolen bases and 14.4 Baseball-Reference wins above replacement. With the D-backs and the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022, he batted .251/.316/.415 with 12 home runs in 134 games.

The Dodgers have made only modest upgrades this winter on the heels of a franchise-record-setting 111-win season. All told, they have spent a combined $44.5 million on one-year contracts for Peralta, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard and reliever Shelby Miller, while also absorbing $5 million in a trade for utility infielder Miguel Rojas.

Miguel Rojas Agrees to One-Year, $6 Million Deal with Los Angeles Dodgers

Miguel Rojas is the six million dollar man…

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to terms with the 33-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball infielder on a $6 million, one-year deal that takes him through the 2024 season.

Miguel RojasThe contract announced Saturday includes a salary of $5 million in 2024 and a club option salary of $5 million in 2025 with a $1 million buyout and charitable contributions.

Rojas was acquired last month from the Miami Marlins for minor league infielder Jacob Amaya.

He returns to the Dodgers for the second time, having made 85 appearances with the club in 2014 as a rookie.

Rojas hit .236 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in 140 games last season. He has been in the majors for parts of nine seasons while playing five different defensive positions.

Los Angeles Dodgers to Retire Fernando Valenzuela’s Jersey Number

It’s a special retirement for Fernando Valenzuela.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will retire the No. 34 jersey of the 62-year-old Mexican former professional baseball pitcher during a three-day celebration this summer.

Fernando Valenzuela,He’ll become the first Latino player to have his number retired by the Dodgers.

Valenzuela was part of two World Series champion teams, winning the 1981 Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards. He was a six-time MLB All-Star during his 11 seasons in Los Angeles from 1980-90.

He’ll be honored from August 11-13 when the Dodgers host Colorado.

Valenzuela will join Pee Wee Reese, Tommy Lasorda, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Jim Gilliam, Don Sutton, Walter Alston, Sandy Koufax, Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson and Don Drysdale with retired numbers.

“To be a part of the group that includes so many legends is a great honor,” Valenzuela said. “But also for the fans, the support they’ve given me as a player and working for the Dodgers, this is also for them.”

Longtime LA Dodgers Spanish Announcer Jaime Jarrín to Retire After 2022 Season

Jaime Jarrín is preparing for his last call…

The 85-year-old Ecuadorian Hall of Fame sports broadcaster will retire as the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Spanish-language announcer following the 2022 season, ending a 64-year run with the team.

Jaime Jarrín

Jarrín announced his decision on Tuesday, saying he wants to spend more time with his two sons and grandchildren, as well as travel. He turns 86 in December. Jarrín’s son, Jorge, retired in February, ending the first father-son duo to broadcast baseball on MLB Spanish-language radio.

The elder Jarrín began calling Dodgers games in 1959 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998, becoming just the second Spanish-language announcer to receive the honor.

“I’m grateful to the Dodgers, the best organization in baseball, for giving me the opportunity to do what I love most for 64 years,” Jarrín said.

He has called three perfect games (Sandy Koufax in 1965, Tom Browning in 1988 and Dennis Martinez in 1991), 22 no-hitters, 30 World Series and 30 MLB All-Star games during his career.

“Jaime was integral in introducing the Dodgers to Los Angeles and in giving a voice to the franchise’s Latino stars,” team president and CEO Stan Kasten said.

“We’re going to cherish this last year with him on the broadcast and wish him the best in retirement.”

Plans to honor Jarrín during the 2022 season will be announced later.

Albert Pujols Hits First-Inning Home Run in St. Louis Return

It’s a memorable homecoming for Albert Pujols.

The 41-year-old Dominican professional baseball player hit a home run in his return to Busch Stadium, sending the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-2 win over his former St. Louis Cardinals team on Tuesday night.

Albert Pujols

The playoff-contending Dodgers won the sixth time in eight games. St. Louis has lost four in a row.

A star slugger who led the Cardinals to a pair of World Series championships, Pujols made his second appearance at Busch Stadium after playing for St. Louis from 2001 to 2011.

Pujols drew a 40-second standing ovation when his name was announced prior to a first-inning at-bat, with catcher and longtime teammate Yadier Molina stepping in front of the plate to prolong the cheer. They had a short embrace before Pujols stepped in. Pujols promptly drilled the fourth pitch from J.A. Happ on a line over the wall in left. It was his 679th career home run and 17th of the season.

“It’s one of those things that you hope could happen,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “But the likelihood is very improbable. Getting a standing ovation and then homering in that first at-bat. Storybook. I’m a firm believer that the game honors you. The way Albert’s played the game for so long, the right way, that’s the way it was supposed to go.”

Pujols tried to downplay the moment.

“When it happens, you just let it happen,” he said. “It’s part of the game. Embrace the moment. But try not to get caught up too much.”

His teammates had no problem enjoying the special moment.

“It was pretty surreal,” Turner said. “Pretty cool for everyone in the stadium — not just Albert. Every time he hits a homer, you’re watching history.”

The 10-time MLB All-Star drew a similar fan reaction when he returned to St. Louis with the Los Angeles Angels for the first time in 2019. He was given a standing ovation in all 12 plate appearances that series, including a one-minute tribute in his first trip to the plate. He also homered in the first game of that series.

Pujols, who did not play in the series opener Monday night, went 1-for-4. The first baseman signed a 10-year deal with the Angels after the 2011 season, then joined the Dodgers last May.

Albert Pujols Reportedly Heading to the Los Angeles Dodgers

Albert Pujols will be heading back to the field sooner than expected…

The 41-year-old Dominican professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter, a future MLB Hall of Famer, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly agreed on a major league contract, according to ESPN.

Albert Pujols

The deal, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, isn’t expected to become official until Monday, a source said.

When it does, the Dodgers will pay Pujols only the prorated portion of the major league minimum salary for the rest of the season, roughly $420,000, a sum that will be subtracted from the $30 million salary that is being paid to him by the Los Angeles Angels.

Pujols, in the last year of his 10-year, $240 million contract, was designated for assignment by the Angels on May 6 and was officially released after clearing waivers on Thursday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts declined to comment on Pujols prior to Saturday’s game because the deal hasn’t been officially announced.

With the defending World Series champion Dodgers, Pujols is expected to be mostly used as a late-game pinch hitter. But he could also get some playing time at first base with everyday first baseman Max Muncy capable of playing second and third base.

Only 41 of Pujols’ 12,486 career regular-season plate appearances have come as a pinch hitter, but the Dodgers expect him to help a young, inexperienced bench.

His right-handed bat might also help a team that entered Saturday with a .663 OPS against left-handed pitchers, 136 points fewer than its OPS against righties. Pujols is batting only .198/.250/.372 in 92 plate appearances this season and has been a below-average hitter by park-adjusted OPS since 2017. But he owns an .878 OPS against lefties in 2021, and his .513 expected slugging percentage suggests he has also been running into some bad luck.

In 18 plate appearances under what Baseball-Reference identifies as late-and-close situations, Pujols owns a .313/.389/.500 slash line.

Pujols, who hasn’t ruled out the possibility of playing beyond 2021, ranks fifth in career homers (667), second in RBIs since they became an official stat in 1920 (2,112) and 14th in hits (3,253). He has won three National League MVP awards, two Gold Gloves and six Silver Sluggers and has been invited to 10 All-Star Games.

His first decade with the St. Louis Cardinals — consisting of a .331/.426/.624 slash line, 408 home runs and 1,230 RBIs — stands as arguably the greatest 10-year run in baseball history. In Year 11, he finished fifth in NL MVP voting and won his second World Series ring.

He becomes the fourth former MVP on the current Dodgers roster, joining Cody BellingerMookie Betts and Clayton Kershaw. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, the Dodgers are the fourth team in MLB history to feature four former MVP winners, joining the 1978 Reds, 1982 Angels and most recently the 1996 Red Sox.

OWN Gives Lozada’s “Livin’ Lozada” Additional Eight-Episode Order

There’s more Evelyn Lozada heading your way…

OWN has ordered eight additional episodes of freshman docuseries Livin’ Lozada, starring the 40-year-old Puerto Rican reality television star.

Evelyn Lozada

The series has been a strong ratings performer for Oprah Winfrey’s cable network.

Livin’ Lozada, which debuted on July 11, was the highest-rated freshman season ever for an OWN docuseries among women 18-49.

In addition, the recent finale of Livin’ Lozada (0.86) on August 29 ranked as one of the top two unscripted season finales in OWN history among women 25-54.

Livin’ Lozada follows the lives of the Basketball Wives star, and her 22-year-old daughter Shanice. The series returns this spring with a new setting. Now that baseball season has ended, Evelyn and her fiancé, LA Dodgers star Carl Crawford, leave the glitz of Hollywood for their offseason home in Arizona.