RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 29: Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Matt Beaty (45) looks on after scoring a run during a MLB game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 29, 2019 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers' blockbuster trade acquisition of Tarik Skubal came with a significant prospect cost, but the roots of the package sent to the Detroit Tigers to acquire the two-time Cy Young Award winner stretch back to the beginning of the team’s latest dynasty, involving a 2020 World Series champion.
Though Matt Beaty never became a star in Los Angeles, the five-year big leaguer served as a surprising key to the team’s eventual acquisition of its latest superstar player.
“Crazy to say it, but Matt Beaty and Michael Busch have ruined baseball,” Gabe Lacques wrote for USA Today . “(They) eventually were traded to the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs for a couple of much younger players in River Ryan and Zyhir Hope, respectively… Ryan and Hope and a young man named Brady Smith were traded by the Dodgers to the Detroit Tigers late on the evening of Saturday, Aug. 1.”
That sequence makes Beaty an unusual footnote to one of the biggest trades of the season and brought some extra attention to a sudden career announcement he made on social media on Monday.
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Beaty announced his retirement in an emotional social media message, reflecting on the years of work and sacrifice required to reach the major leagues.
“I believe it’s time to finally officially announce that I’m entering the next chapter of my life,” he wrote on Instagram . “And somehow, all of those moments led me to becoming a big leaguer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a World Series Champion, and getting to play parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball.”
The Dodgers selected Beaty in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, and he steadily climbed up the organizational ladder before making his major league debut in 2019.
He ultimately became a valuable piece of Los Angeles' roster because of his versatility. Beaty appeared at first base, third base and in the outfield, giving the team another option whenever injuries or roster construction demanded it.
His best opportunity came in 2021, when he played 120 games and hit .270 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs.
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Beaty's Dodgers career ultimately ended when Los Angeles designated him for assignment in March 2022. He was later traded to the San Diego Padres, a move that helped strengthen the team’s highly regarded farm system.
That allowed the Dodgers to acquire Skubal despite competition from other interested teams at the latest trade deadline. And the new pitcher now gives Los Angeles another elite arm as it pursues a third consecutive World Series title.
For Beaty, however, the timing of the announcement is about closing a chapter that began when Los Angeles took a chance on him more than a decade ago.
“You spend your entire life devoting time, effort and sacrifice to a game,” Beaty added in his retirement announcement . “You make choices and give up opportunities because baseball doesn’t always allow you to experience life the way everyone else does. When something has been such a huge part of your life for so long, walking away is hard.”
His career may be finished, but his fingerprints remain on the complicated trade chain that ultimately helped bring one of baseball's best pitchers to Los Angeles.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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