Dodgers claim versatile infielder from Mets in first offsesaon acquisition

On the eve of MLB’s annual General Managers Meetings, the Dodgers made their first acquisition of the offseason.The team announced Monday that it claimed infielder Christian Cairo off waivers from the Mets, adding a 25-year-old former fourth-round draft pick who has yet to make his MLB debut.A career-long minor-leaguer who spent most of last year in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization –– hitting .227 with a .676 OPS in 128 games with their triple-A affiliate –– Cairo was a late-season waiver addition for the Mets, who subsequently re-signed him to a one-year contract on a split MLB/minor-league deal earlier this month.However, the Mets tried to quickly pass Cairo through waivers after that signing, in hopes of keeping him in the organization but saving space on their 40-man roster.Instead, the Dodgers decided to strike, scooping up the Bakersfield-born product in a move that will bolster their own organizational depth chart.Cairo was originally drafted out of high school by Cleveland in 2019, and reached their triple-A affiliate in 2024.But he hasn’t produced much offensively since then, owning a .233 average and .675 OPS in three seasons at that level.

In seven minor-league seasons overall, he also has just 21 home runs.Cairo is an on-base threat, though, coming off a 2026 campaign in which he drew 92 walks and struck out only 76 times.And while he will likely have a limited pathway to any sort of big-league role with the Dodgers, he is at least joining the club at the start of an offseason in which versatile bench depth is a need (thanks to Miguel Rojas’ retirement and Kiké Hernández hitting free agency). With Cairo’s addition, the Dodgers now have only two open spots remaining on their 40-man roster....