Earlier this spring, Matt Beaty and Cody Bellinger made headlines when they received -- and granted -- an unusual request from a Dodgers fan at Camelback Ranch.
The fan asked both players to sign his forearm, promising Bellinger he would have both signatures tattooed. Later that evening, he did just that.
A little more than a week later, on March 23, owing to the Dodgers' loaded roster, Beaty was designated for assignment. The Padres acquired him on Monday in exchange for INF/RHP River Ryan, leaving that devoted fan with the permanent autograph of a division rival. To add insult to injury, Beaty signed his name with his uniform number -- which he swapped for a new one after the trade.
“Well, if he wants to scratch out the No. 45 and put in No. 27, I’m happy to do that for him,” Beaty joked. “It’s crazy. I didn’t even know what was going on. You know how it is at Camelback [Ranch], there are so many fans there, and I like to sign as many as possible because I was a kid that was a Braves fan and tried to get as many signatures as possible.
“This guy sticks his arm with Cody’s [autograph] and he’s like, ‘Hey, sign my arm, too.’ And I’m like, ‘Sure,’” Beaty continued. “Then later that night, of course, I get notifications [of the tattoo] and I’m like, ‘Geez, what is this guy thinking?’ It’s going to be with that guy for a long time.”