Matt Sauer: Who Knew?

Posted By on March 9, 2025

Matthew David Sauer was born in Santa Maria, CA, on January 21, 1999. He is barely older than my youngest son. He was drafted in 2017 by the Yankees in the second round with a $2,497,500 signing bonus. That’s pretty dang good for 2017. He had Tommy John surgery early in 2019, then lost the next year when the minor league season was canceled in the midst of the pandemic. Sauer reached Double-A in 2022 but needed another surgery to clean up elbow and forearm issues. He returned to the level in 2023 and then was selected by the Royals in the Rule 5 draft. He didn’t stick.

Matt has a 7.71 ERA in the Majors in 16.1 IP and an ERA of 4.37 in the minors in 414 IP. So, what the hell is he doing on the Dodgers squad going to Japan? Well, let’s tart with what Baseball America said about him in 2024:

 Sauer is a sturdy-bodied righthander who operates with a four-pitch mix dominated by a fastball and slider. His four-seam fastball sat around 94 mph and touched 98, while the slider checked in around 84 mph and peaked at 89. The fastball showed excellent life through the zone and was an effective bat-misser when elevated. Sauer’s slider had plenty of sweeping action and a high spin rate of around 2,600 rpm. Both pitches are above-average and can flash a tick higher. Sauer rounds out his mix with a mid-80s changeup and a low-80s curveball. The changeup flashes fade and drop but is inconsistent, and he can give away the pitch by utilizing a more pronounced glove tap than is seen on his other offerings. He has above-average control.

Uh… OK! But lots of pitchers have that. Well, let me give this to you straight: Matt Sauer is the Dodgers 2025 Reclamation Project! They have one about every year, and he is this year’s PROJECT. Why? It’s simple: He has recovered from his surgeries, and the Dodgers are working with him on a new pitch (or pitches). These things do not always pan out, but some do:

  1. Joe Blanton
  2. Brandon Morrow
  3. Tyler Anderson
  4. Andrew Heaney
  5. Jack Flaherty
  6. Jake McGee
  7. Corey Knebel
  8. Alex Vesia
  9. Yency Almonte
  10. Evan Phillips

I am sure I have forgotten some…

Every year, Andrew Friedman signs an ” under-the-radar” pitcher who frequently turns into “something.” This year’s flavor-of-the-year is Matt Sauer. His ERA in the pre-season is not good, but Mark Prior and the Dodgers see something—and that is good enough for me! Let’s Ride!

X-CITES

https://twitter.com/SportsNetLA/status/1898861328560730510

This article has 55 Comments

  1. If Cole has TJ and Stanton has “severe” injuries in BOTH elbows I would assume the Yankees have a doubtful chance to get into the playoffs much less Advacne if they do.

    So which A.L. team will be there in the end? I’ve been waiting for it to be the Orioles for awhile but somehow they just don’t get over the hump.

    1. They still have Freid, Stroman, Schmidt and Rodon. Not much depth though. Outman with a homer off of a lefty and Kim with a 2 run single. But a couple of homers sunk LA today. Only two games left before they leave for Japan.

      1. Nice to see Outman and Kim deliver.
        I hope both make the 31-man squad heading for Japan…. and then get off to fast starts in OKC.

        1. So Kim won’t be going to Japan.
          And Bote, spring’s hottest Dodger hitter, has been reassigned to minor league camp. (Not sure if that would keep him off the 31-man travel squad for Japan.)

    2. So the Yankees need starting pitching?
      Same could be said for the Orioles and several other teams.
      And the Dodgers have ML-quality pitchers who are ticketed for OKC…
      Perhaps something could be worked out.

      2. Yankees prospect cupboard is dry. They have one player in the top 100. Not the team I would do business with unless they want to ship Cody Bellinger to LA to play CF. If nothing else, being around hitters like Freeman, Betts and Ohtani might rub off on Bellinger. And we know he plays excellent defense in center.

    3. My pick is the Red Sox win the American League East Division now that the Yankees are reeling from injuries.Bet it!!!

      1. Yes Boston.Grest lineup, decent starting pitching and a good bullpen. Every team in the American League East is flawed.

  2. Good piece on Sauer.

    And I consider Casparius a lock at this point. He’s well within the circle of trust [though keep that slider down].

    1. To Mark’s list of reclamation projects, I would add Anthony Banda and Ryan Brasier. Really is quite a track record.
      And on the offensive side, perhaps Bote will join Justin Turner and Max Muncy as players who took a big step forward in Dodger blue.

  3. David Vassegh
    @THEREAL_DV
    Dave Roberts said he can’t announce who will start the home opener, but basically said today, Blake Snell is lined up for that. #Dodgers

    “It lines up with what everybody is expecting.”

  4. Thank God the Dodgers didn’t sign Gerrit Cole to a long term contract when they had a chance and he choose to sign with the Yankees.Long term contracts when a pitcher is approaching free agency at age 29 or older NEVER works out.

  5. Two more Spring Training games,today and tomorrow before the Dodgers fly to Japan for a couple of Japanese exhibitions games and the season officially starts next Tuesday the 18th against the Cubs.

  6. 4:05 PM ET

    Diamondbacks (89-73) (8-9)
    Dodgers (98-64) (10-8)

    SP John Curtiss R
    0-0 .00 ERA
    SP Y. Yamamoto R
    0-0 .00 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup
    DH S. Ohtani L
    2B Tommy Edman S
    1B F. Freeman L
    RF T. Hernandez R
    3B Max Muncy L
    C Will Smith R
    SS Miguel Rojas R
    LF James Outman L
    CF Andy Pages R

    79° Wind 7 mph R-L

  7. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Dave Roberts has agreed to a four-year extension with a salary of just over $8 million per year.

    1. “At $32.4 million, Roberts will get $8.1 million per season, which surpasses Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who gets $8 million per season on his five-year, $40 million deal.
      Roberts deserved to be the highest-paid manager in MLB history, and the Dodgers have officially rewarded him”.

      1. That’s good to hear. With the shorter contract I wonder if Roberts is thinking he may want to retire at that point?

  9. Cole will have Tommy John surgery tomorrow. Dr. Neil ElAttrache will perform the surgery.

  10. @FabianArdaya: James Outman said he’s been told he’s going to be part of the Dodgers’ travel roster in Japan. His status for the active roster is still TBD.

          1. Your favorite whipping boys Bum. Max will still end up with 30 plus bombs and a OPS over .800. Taylor on the other hand, even with his new approach, does not look good up there. He still takes way too many third strike calls. Max is going nowhere, Taylor, because of the loyalty of this front office, is probably safe also. But the lack of a left-handed bat off of the bench bothers me.

  11. After starting his Dodger career 1 for 12, Hey Seong Kim has 4 hits in his last 14 at bats. Seems like he’s coming into latter parts of the games but at least the trend is in the right direction.

  12. While I’m fully expecting James Outman to start the season in OKC, it’s nice to see more signs of life after his poor start this spring.
    Outman’s triple today lifted his spring OPS to a healthy .824–albeit with only a .214 BA .
    Meanwhile, his primary in-house rival Andy Pages went 0 for 3 and saw his OPS drop to .584 (with a .192 BA), and NRI Eddie Rosario went 0 for 1 and had his OPS fall to .597 (with a .125 BA).
    Kim, who also factors into the CF/2B situation, got a hit and raised his BA to .225 with a .656 OPS.
    FWIW, Edman, who will be starting at either CF or 2B, has been fine, with a .787 OPS and .258 BA.
    The big surprise, of course, has been David Bote, who may have earned a starting job. If not, why not? His OPS is at 1.193 with a .414 BA.
    Projected lineup:
    Shohei DH
    Mookie SS
    Freddie 1b
    Teo RF
    Max 3B
    Smith C
    Conforto LB
    Bote 2B
    Edman CF

    Bench: Barnes, Kike, Taylor, Rojas

      1. You can afford a weak hitting bench when you have the best starting lineup in the dame.

        But look at the Benches Spring BA :

        Rojas -.375
        Barnes .368
        Kike .364
        Taylor .241

        They have played OK in Spring Training, and almost 40 years of experience and the ability to play multiple positions makes this one of the best benches in the game. I think when a bench player comes in, their defense is paramount, but none of them has played badly this Spring.

        Of course, BA may be inflated because they faced a lot of AA, AAA and AAAA pitchers. The same is true with Outman. His OPS is good because of his recent HR and Triple, but I am more alarmed by his 54% strikeout rate. He is getting worse… not better.

        I will tell you a player who has earned a lot of respect: Dalton Rushing! He will allegedly be strictly a catcher and has been soaking in the knowledge this Spring. He has a .919 OPS and has walked 9 times in 13 PA. He ain’t swinging if you ain’t throwing strikes.

    2. Bote vs Outman for the 26?

      I like Bote on the bench being more of a contact hitter than Taylor. Kim on the bench would sub a lefty bat for Taylor.

      Taylor provides both outfield and infield depth.

      Only a couple more days to decide.

  13. Dustin May has won the Los Angeles’ Dodgers No. 5 starter, manager Dave Roberts said on Dodgers Territory Monday night.May beat out Tony Gonsolin, who suffered an injury while lifting weights.

  14. I don’t know if anyone has been following Trayce Thompson, but he is playing CF for the Red Sox and is hitting .391 this spring with a 1.794 OPS with6 HR and 12 RBI.

    Trevor Story is also raking!

    Walker has pitched 5 innings and struck out 7.

    1. Watch out for those Red Sox! I’m sure your son is going to be very happy with their outcome this Summer.Bet It!!

      1. Son-in-Law.
        My son is a Dodger fan.

        However, we are all going the Dodger game on April 1st! Maybe I’ll flip him…

  15. 4:05 PM ET

    Guardians (92-69) (7-9)
    Dodgers (98-64) (11-8)

    SP Doug Nikhazy L
    0-0 .00 ERA
    SP Roki Sasaki R
    0-0 .00 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup
    DH S. Ohtani L
    2B Tommy Edman S
    1B F. Freeman L
    RF T. Hernandez R
    C Will Smith R
    LF E. Hernandez R
    3B Max Muncy L
    SS Miguel Rojas R
    CF Andy Pages R

    75° Wind 13 mph Out

    1. A couple of games ago Betts left early. He’s now out two games in a row. Coincidence?

      1. You would think he would be in starting lineup that almost looks like the Opening Day starting lineup before they leave for Japan. Something is up.

  16. LATEST TRANSACTIONS
    March 7
    • LHPs Jackson Ferris, Joe Jacques and Jose Hernandez and RHPs Sam Carlson, Jared Karros, Jack Little and Jose Rodriguez: Reassigned to Minor League camp

    March 6
    • Cs Griffin Lockwood-Powell and Chris Okey and IFs Alex Freeland, Austin Gauthier and Kody Hoese: Reassigned to Minor League camp

    March 2
    • RHP Nick Frasso: Optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City
    • RHPs Carlos Duran, Julian Fernández and Justin Jarvis and OFs Ryan Ward, Justin Dean, Zyhir Hope and Josue De Paula: Reassigned to Minor League camp

  17. Man, we gotta let CT3 go. He’s just not very effective anymore swinging a bat. How on earth can we afford to keep him on the team ? He hasn’t hit in three years. Be a crying shame to send David Bote down. He’s played all over and has hit very well. He’s more than able to replace Taylor. Although he’s struck out way to much. Doc might be leaning on keeping Outman over Pages because of his better defense and being a much better runner. Oh ya, one more thing. Someone mentioned how Landon Knack is another Lance Lynn. I concur. My 2 cents today.

      1. Taylor 3 ABs today and 3Ks. He just has to be the 26th man on the roster with limited ABs and limited playing time if AF won’t let him go.

    2. 1. Spring Training tells you something… but not everything.
      2. I don’t think either Pages or Outman make the team.
      3. Landon Knack had a 3.65 ERA as a rookie. Clayton Kershaw had a 4.26 ERA as a rookie. He has not been good in Spring Training, so he’s a bum? Geeezzzz!

  19. David Vassegh
    @THEREAL_DV
    Hyeseong Kim will not travel to Japan with #Dodgers and Dave Roberts said decision has been made for Kim to begin season at Triple-A OKC.

  20. David Vassegh
    @THEREAL_DV
    Dustin May will stay back in Arizona to prepare for the season as 5th starter to begin the season. Tony Gonsolin injured his back lifting weights and will begin the season on IL. #Dodgers

  21. David Vassegh
    @THEREAL_DV
    Dave Roberts makes it official: Roki Sasaki will start game 2 of the season in Tokyo, Japan. #TokyoSeries #Dodgers #Cubs

  22. In addition to Kim, Giovanny Gallegos, catcher Dalton Rushing, infielders David Bote and Michael Chavis and outfielder Eddie Rosario were reassigned to minor league camp.

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