In an attempt to upgrade their lineup against left-handed pitchers, the Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired veteran Outfielder Juan Rivera from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations or a player to be named later.
The deal was first reported by Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times on his twitter account.
With Rivera, the Dodgers receive a much needed upgrade over Marcus Thames in terms of a right-handed batter who can hit lefties. After being signed in the offseason, Thames batted only .197 in 66 at-bats with the Dodgers, missing nearly a month with a quad strain. He was designated for assignment to make room for Rivera on the Dodgers' roster.
This is the second time that Rivera has been traded over the last six months, as he was traded in late January from the Angels to the Blue Jays along with Mike Napoli for Outfielder Vernon Wells.
Rivera has played all or parts of eleven seasons in the major leagues with the New York Yankees, Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels and the Blue Jays. He has a career batting average of .277 along with 118 homeruns. His best season came in 2009 with the Angels when he batted .287 with 25 homeruns and 88 RBI.
This season, Rivera was batting .243 with 6 homeruns and 28 RBI for the Blue Jays, but good depth at the Outfield position led the Blue Jays to designate him for assignment.
Rivera can play both corner outfield positions, as well as first base and should make an immediate impact off the bench and in spot-sparts.
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