Dodgers trade for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly
The Los Angeles Dodgers stay busy at the deadline as they address their pitching needs by bringing in Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly from the Chicago White Sox, coming days after the Dodgers bolstered their lineup by trading for Enrique Hernandez and Amed Rosario.
In return, the White Sox receive Trayce Thompson, right-handed starter Nick Nastrini, and right-handed reliever Jordan Leasure, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan reported the full details of the trade Friday.
To start, I really like this trade for the White Sox. Lynn was giving you little to no production and it was clear he was going to be moved at the deadline. So to get the Dodgers’ No. 9 prospect for a guy with a 6.47 ERA is a big win in my pick.
Nastrini is a solid right-hander with a great four-pitch mix and has shot up the Dodgers prospect ranking in the last couple of years. I think he will be a very solid piece for this White Sox trade and was about as good a return as you were going to get.
While Leasure isn’t maybe as highly touted as Nastrini, he is still a great piece to be getting in this trade. He’s posted crazy strikeout numbers in AA and could fast-track his way to the majors should that continue.
Overall, this is a great return for a White Sox team in desperate need of some quality prospects. While also moving off two aging players who don’t fit the timeline.
Now it’s time for the Dodgers’ perspective. I understand the need to address their pitching, but this still just seemed like a little too much to give up, especially with how bad Lance Lynn has been this season.
If he was pitching like Lynn from a couple of years ago, then I would totally get it. But it seems like Lynn may be starting the sharp regression in his age-36 season. Now with the Dodgers, he could see his numbers improve.
The Dodgers have been known to turn pitchers around, which could greatly benefit Lynn. who seemingly could use the help. I understand why they did it, but it seems like it was a little bit of a panic move.
In fact, Joe Kelly may even be a more significant addition. He’s having a solid season posting a 3.98 ERA and should help bring relief to this Dodgers bullpen.
It’s clear the Dodgers are pulling out all the stops for this season. It’s now just a matter of seeing if these additions will actually help them achieve their goal. But for now, I have to give the edge to the White Sox in terms of winning this trade.
They moved off two aging players and brought in some significant young talent in an attempt to rebuild the farm system. They still have a while to go, but this is a step in the right direction. At least the White Sox seem to know how to sell correctly.
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