Dodgers acquire pitcher Yu Darvish from Texas Rangers minutes before trade deadline
The Dodgers made the bold play on Monday, acquiring pitcher Yu Darvish from the Texas Rangers in the final minutes before the 1 p.m. PDT trade deadline.
With a playoff berth all but assured, the Dodgers added Darvish and left-handed relievers Tony Cingrani and Tony Watson to a team in search of its first World Series appearance since 1988.
The Dodgers went 20-3 in July, and they have the best record in the major leagues. General Manager Farhan Zaidi said he expected the trades would fire up the clubhouse.
"I think it will definitely be an emotional boost for the team,†he said. “It's hard to say they need it."
The Dodgers had identified Darvish as their top target even before Clayton Kershaw went on the disabled list with a back injury. The team now can envision a playoff rotation of Kershaw, Darvish, Alex Wood and Rich Hill.
The latter three pitchers have been acquired at the deadline in each of the three years under Zaidi and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman â€" Wood in 2015, Hill last year, Darvish this year.
Zaidi s aid Kershaw’s injury “didn’t really at all†factor into the pursuit of Darvish. However, Zaidi said the Dodgers did factor in their desire to avoid using Kershaw on short rest in October. Kershaw regularly has started Game 4 of the National League Division Series on three days’ rest, and he started three games within nine days in 2013 and 2016.
Darvish, 30, has been an all-star in four of his five major league seasons. He is eligible for free agency at the end of the season. The Dodgers had been wary of trading their best prospects â€" pitcher Walker Buehler and outfielder Alex Verdugo â€" in any deal, let alone one to get a player that might be gone after three months.
Zaidi said the Dodgers and Rangers discussed a deal for weeks but did not agree to one until “the last 15 minutes†before the deadline. The Dodgers sent one of their top four prospects â€" triple-A second baseman Willie Calhoun â€" to the Rangers, along with Class A pitcher A.J. Alexy and Class A infielder Brendon Davis.
Zaidi said the Dodgers had “a need for a high-end starting pitcher" and called Calhoun is "a big league ready, middle of the order bat."
Calhoun is batting .298 with 23 home runs at triple-A Oklahoma City. He ranked No. 74 on Baseball America's midseason Top 100 list, profiling as a very good hitter who could become an offense-first second baseman. However, the Dodgers have tried Calhoun in left field as well, and the Rangers offer the American League fallback position of designated hitter.
D arvish has a 6-9 record with a 4.01 earned-run average ERA in 22 starts. His last start was the worst of his career; he gave up 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings to the Miami Marlins. After Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports wrote that Darvish had been tipping his pitches, Darvish said he indeed had and thanked Passan for mentioning it.
"That's interesting," Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich tweeted. "Nobody told us."
Darvish ranks fourth in the American League in strikeouts this year, trailing only Chris Sale, Chris Archer and Corey Kluber. In his career, Darvish is 52-39 with a 3.42 ER A.
The Dodgers had been wary of trading their top prospects â€" pitcher Walker Buehler and outfielder Alex Verdugo â€" in any deal, let alone one to get a player that might be gone after three months.
In addition to Darvish, the Dodgers acquired Watson from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cingrani from the Cincinnati Reds. The three deals cost them Calhoun, Scott Van Slyke and five minor leaguers, but they were able to hang on to Buehler, Verdugo and another one of their best prospects, pitcher Yadier Alvarez.
Buehler could be added to the Dodgers bullpen later in the season and be used as Francisco Rodriguez was by the Angels on their 2002 World Series run, as a rookie flame-thrower unseen by opposing hitters, helping bridge the gap between the starters and the closer.
Zaidi said the Dodgers are not interested in trading their elite prospects to enhance their chance to win before a supposed window of contention closes.
"We're not in a competitive cycle,†he said. “We want to be good every year."
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