Dodgers lose left-handed reliever Randy Choate to Cardinals - Los Angeles Times
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Dodgers lose left-handed reliever Randy Choate to Cardinals

Randy Choate had success against left-handed batters with the Marlins and Dodgers last season.
(Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
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They come, they go, and sometimes they come and go in a hurry.

Say hasta la vista to left-hander Randy Choate, who reportedly signed a three-year deal with the Cardinals on Wednesday for $7.5 million.

Which goes to show you, those Richie Rich Dodgers are not going to sign every free agent they desire.

Choate came over in a midseason trade with Hanley Ramirez from the Marlins, and like deadline-acquisition Shane Victorino from the previous day, has now shown to be a simple two-month rental.

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General Manager Ned Colletti said after the season he wanted to bring Choate back, which made perfect sense given he was an effective left-handed, situational reliever for the Dodgers and that their only returning veteran lefty in the bullpen was Scott Elbert, who’s coming off elbow surgery.

But the left-handed reliever market was thinned considerably Wednesday when Choate signed with the Cards and the Angels acquired Sean Burnett for two years at $8 million.

Choate, 36, had a 4.05 earned-run average in 38 games for the Dodgers. His ERA is particularly misleading since he normally came in to face one left-handed batter. He gave up only one run in his last 13 appearances.

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Despite his years, there are not a lot of innings on that arm. In a major-league high 80 overall games last season, he pitched only 38 2/3 innings.

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