World Series champion Dodgers, key to Tarik Skubal trade, suddenly ends career
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The Los Angeles Dodgers’ blockbuster trade acquisition of Tarik Skubal came at a significant perspective cost, but the roots of the package sent to the Detroit Tigers to acquire the two-time Cy Young Award winner date back to the beginning of the team’s last dynasty, which involved a 2020 World Series champion.
Although Matt Beaty never became a star in Los Angeles, the five-year major leaguer served as a surprising key to the team’s eventual acquisition of its latest superstar player.
“It’s crazy to say it, but Matt Beaty and Michael Busch have ruined baseball,” Gabe Lacques wrote for USA Today. “(They) were eventually traded to the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs for a pair of much younger players in River Ryan and Zyhir Hope, respectively… Ryan and Hope and a youngster named Brady Smith were traded by the Dodgers to the Detroit Tigers late on the afternoon of Saturday, August 1.”
That sequence makes Beaty an unusual footnote in one of the biggest trades of the season and brought more attention to a sudden career announcement he made on social media on Monday.
World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers announce retirement amid playoff push
Beaty announced his retirement in an emotional message on social media, reflecting on the years of work and sacrifice required to reach the major leagues.
“I think it’s time to finally officially announce that I’m entering the next chapter of my life,” he said. wrote on Instagram. “And somehow, all of those moments led me to becoming a Major League player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a World Series champion and playing 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 the organizational ladder before making his major league debut in 2019.
He ultimately became a valuable piece of the Los Angeles roster due to his versatility. Beaty appeared at first base, third base and in the outfield, giving the team another option when 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.
Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Matt Beaty helped create Tarik Skubal trade
Beaty’s Dodgers career finally ended when Los Angeles designated him for assignment in March 2022. He was then traded to the San Diego Padres, a move that helped strengthen the team’s prestigious farm system.
That allowed 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 in its quest for a third straight 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 dedicating time, effort and sacrifice to a game,” Beaty added in his retirement announcement. “You make decisions and give up opportunities because baseball doesn’t always allow you to experience life like everyone else does. When something has been such a big part of your life for so long, walking away is hard.”
His career may be over, but his fingerprints remain on the complicated chain of trades that ultimately helped bring one of baseball’s best pitchers to Los Angeles.
