A familiar Dodgers name is heading to Queens.
AJ Ellis, the longtime Los Angeles catcher who settled into a post-playing role with the Padres after retiring in 2018, is reportedly leaving San Diego for the Mets. Per Will Sammon of The Athletic, New York has lined him up as a major league strategy coordinator in 2027.
Ellis had been with the Padres front office since joining as a special assistant in February 2019, and the move adds another piece to a Mets staff that has already seen plenty of turnover. New York fired director of hitting Jeff Albert and quality assurance coach Danny Barnes in early October, then brought in former player Mariano Duncan in an undisclosed role, Ellis, and Atlanta Braves minor league hitting coordinator Johnny Washington as a co-hitting coach. Andy Green, who replaced Carlos Mendoza after his mid-season firing, is now the one tasked with steering the whole thing.
For Dodgers fans, Ellis is still best remembered for his nine major league seasons in Los Angeles and his battery work with Clayton Kershaw.
Back on the Dodgers side, the organizational churn is showing up in the minor leagues too. Baseball America’s recent list of minor league free agents included 13 Dodgers players, with nine of them coming from Triple-A.
The group includes right-handers Yency Almonte, Nick Robertson, Jerming Rosario, and Ryder Ryan; left-handers Charlie Barnes, Cole Irvin, and Christian Suárez; catchers Yeiner Fernández, Nelson Quiroz, and Chadwick Tromp; shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald; outfielder Matt Gorski; and outfielder José Meza.
Seven of the 13 have major league experience, though only Irvin and Barnes logged big league innings with the Dodgers this season. Irvin threw six innings and allowed six earned runs, while Barnes worked 10 innings and gave up seven.
That leaves the Dodgers with a decision to make on the pitching depth in Oklahoma City, and the club could choose to bring some of those arms back on minor league deals. Otherwise, the OKC staff could be awfully thin heading into 2027.
There’s also some encouraging news coming out of the Arizona Fall League. The Dodgers have nine prospects in the circuit, including No. 2 prospect Eduardo Quintero and No. 6 Charles Davalan, but the loudest performances have come from players a little farther down the list.
No. 9 Chase Harlan, No.
28 Brooks Auger, and unranked Luke Fox are all headed to the AFL Fall Stars Game on Sunday. Harlan, the only position player of the trio, has put together a .276 average with a .989 OPS, five homers, and 17 RBI in 16 games.
Fox has posted a 4.09 ERA over 11 innings, and his 14 strikeouts stand out. Auger, meanwhile, has had a tougher run, carrying a 7.15 ERA in 11 1/3 innings.
Harlan and Auger finished the year at High-A, while Fox wrapped up at Double-A, so none of them are on the doorstep of the majors just yet. Still, they’ve given Dodgers fans something worth watching when the Fall Stars Game arrives Sunday.
In Other News...
Dodgers Fans Have A New Prospect Debate With A Fall Stars Twist
Major League Baseballs Fall Stars Game roster announcement gave Dodgers fans a fresh reason to keep an eye on the Arizona Fall League, with third baseman Chase Harlan and pitcher Luke Fox landing on the National League team. The showcase will be played Sunday at Salt River Fields and aired on MLB Network, giving the organization another chance to see two of its prospects on a bigger stage.
Now the debate shifts to who should join them, with fans voting on one more National League spot from a pool that includes Dodgers prospects Eduardo Quintero and Charles Davalan, along with Padres infielder Justin DeCriscio. For a player development system that has already put two names on the roster, the final choice adds a little extra intrigue for Dodgers followers who have been tracking the fall circuit closely. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Could Be Near A Tough Kik Hernndez Decision
Kik Hernndez has been one of the more familiar October pieces in the Dodgers recent run, a utility presence who has shown up in postseason after postseason since 2015 and given the club flexibility all over the diamond. Even with that track record, the offseason always has a way of forcing uncomfortable choices, and Hernndezs status is now part of that familiar roster churn as Los Angeles weighs how to reshape its bench and defensive depth.
One name that has surfaced in that conversation is Mauricio Dubon, the versatile defender most recently with the Atlanta Braves. Dubon would likely come at a higher salary, which only adds to the calculus for a Dodgers front office trying to balance value with familiarity, and while a move away from Hernndez looks increasingly possible, it is not yet official. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Could Lose A Bullpen Weapon To A Familiar Rival
The Dodgers have already made one major bullpen splash by landing Edwin Daz, and they are not likely to stop there as they keep looking for ways to deepen a roster built to chase another title. With Tarik Skubal expected to be a major winter target, Los Angeles is also being linked to a more immediate relief-market possibility in Padres left-hander Adrin Morejn, a pitcher who has quietly become one of the more interesting names in the division.
Morejn has been extended a qualifying offer by San Diego and has until November 17 to decide whether to take it or test free agency, which leaves the door open for a familiar rival to make a run at him. For the Dodgers, the appeal is obvious: pairing Morejn with Daz would give them another high-end bullpen look, while also turning a Padres weapon into part of the same late-inning mix that has long frustrated opponents in the National League West. [Read more 🡒]