This news came out of nowhere. I know the Dodgers had been without a left-handed bat off the bench since they DFA'd Carl Crawford, but I didn't expect them to fill that void through free agency. I figured they'd look from within and bring up infielder Micah Johnson or even longtime minor league veteran/journeyman Corey Brown. Instead, the Dodgers signed former Padres outfielder Will Venable. Per a Dodgers press release:
The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced the signing of outfielder Will Venable (#25) to a one-year contract.
The 33-year-old has a .251 career batting average with 81 home runs and 307 RBI in 955 big league games during eight seasons with the Padres (2008-2015) and Rangers (2015).