In a break from previous years, the Los Angeles Dodgers made a big splash well in advance of the non-waiver trade deadline, this season acquiring Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles during the All-Star break.
Upon completing the trade, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi made it clear the team would next look to monitor which pitchers became available. Zaidi indicated the Dodgers were open to both starters and relievers, though the bulk of speculation has tied them to the latter.
At various points and with varying degrees of reported interest, the Dodgers were linked to Zach Britton and Brad Brach before each was traded. They’ve since been mentioned as scouting Texas Rangers closer Keone Kela and Shane Greene of the Detroit Tigers, among others.
According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, the Dodgers have traded for John Axford of the Toronto Blue Jays:
#BlueJays have agreed to trade John Axford to the Dodgers per source
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) July 31, 2018
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Dodgers are sending Minor League pitcher Corey Copping to the Blue Jays:
Source confirms Blue Jays trade John Axford to Dodgers for RHP Corey Copping.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 31, 2018
Axford is 4-1 this season with a 4.41 ERA, 4.02 FIP and 1.26 WHIP. He’s been particularly effective against left-handed batters, holding them to a .147/.244/.309 slash line.
Copping was 4-0 with three saves and a 2.52 ERA in 35 games during time spent with Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City this season. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 31st round of the 2015 Draft.
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