While the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly have their sights on bigger names such as Manny Machado ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the club recently addressed their bullpen in the form of a minor trade with the Cincinnati Reds.
The Dodgers acquired a pair of one-time organizational depth arms in Dylan Floro and Zach Neal, as well as international signing money in exchange for Minor League pitchers James Marinan and Aneurys Zabala.
While Floro didn’t crack the Majors in his first stint with the Dodgers last year, he went on to find success with the rebuilding Reds this season. He posted a 2.72 ERA, 3.33 FIP and 1.40 WHIP in 36.1 innings pitched while striking out 27 and walking 12 prior to being traded to the Dodgers.
Floro made his debut for Los Angeles on July 8, tossing 1.2 perfect innings while inducing a key double-play ball in the seventh inning. While the end result wasn’t favorable, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts offered high praise for the 27-year-old after the game, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“He put Fletcher on the ground for the double play, and you saw the other guys at the top of the order [Andrelton Simmons, Mike Trout and Justin Upton] didn’t get good swings off him,” said Roberts. “I’m looking forward to seeing more of him.”
Floro certainly impressed in his Dodgers debut, retiring a trio of All-Star caliber players in Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim shortstop Andrelton Simmons and outfielders Mike Trout and Justin Upton.
Floro thrived in his first high-leverage situation with the Dodgers, and he did the same in his second outing on Wednesday against the San Diego Padres, tossing a 1-2-3 eighth inning to earn a hold.
The Dodgers will presumably continue exploring all avenues in upgrading their bullpen over the next three weeks, as the club looks to piece together its best possible roster for another World Series run.
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