The Los Angeles Dodgers did their heavy lifting ahead of the non-waiver trade deadlined by acquiring Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles. After acquiring the All-Star shortstop, the Dodgers shifted their focus to pitchers available on the trade market.
General manager Farhan Zaidi said the club was evaluating options both for the starting rotation and bullpen, but the general expectation is the Dodgers were more likely to address their group of relievers.
They were among the teams reportedly in talks with the Orioles for closer Zach Britton, who was ultimately traded to the New York Yankees. The Dodgers have also been connected to multiple Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay relievers.
According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Los Angeles also scouted Keone Kela and three other Texas Rangers relief pitchers:
According to three sources, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been scouting the Rangers’ relief quartet of Keone Kela, Jose Leclerc, Alex Claudio and Jake Diekman closely in the last week.
Per Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe, the Dodgers also scouted Orioles reliever Brad Brach and Shane Greene of the Detroit Tigers:
They’ve also been scouting Brach and Greene.
While Los Angeles was among the reported teams to get a look at Brach, an agreement has been reached to trade him to the Atlanta Braves.
The Dodgers bullpen entered play Sunday with a 3.38 ERA, which ranked seventh in the National League. Their .697 opponents’ on-base plus slugging percentage was good for the sixth-best mark in the league.
A rash of injuries has prevented Dodgers manager Dave Roberts from carving out roles for most of his relievers, and also contributed to the group’s inconsistency. As it stands, Tony Cingrani, Josh Fields and Dylan Floro are on the 10-day disabled list.
So too is Zac Rosscup, who was claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies just over two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Tom Koehler underwent season-ending shoulder surgery and will not have thrown a single pitch for the Dodgers.
As part of our efforts to help you understand how we handle the personal information you share with us, and in preparation for the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we’ve updated our Privacy & Cookies Policy. The updated Privacy & Cookies Policy will take effect on May 22, 2018. By using our services on or after that date, you’ll be agreeing to our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy. We recommend that you read our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy in full.
