
The Dodgers logged three transactions in the hours before baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline Monday, headlined by the acquisition of pitcher Rich Hill and right fielder Josh Reddick from the Oakland A’s.
The trades they did not make were just as big.
Yasiel Puig is still a Dodger, though he did not fly with the Dodgers to Colorado for today’s game.
Chris Archer is still a Tampa Bay Ray. Chris Sale and Jose Quintana are still in Chicago.
Jay Bruce (New York Mets), Matt Moore (San Francisco), Jeremy Jeffress and Jonathan Lucroy (Texas) all switched teams without the Dodgers’ involvement.
“What we were looking for more than anything,” Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said, “were guys who can come in and help us in the division race.”
The Dodgers are currently two games behind the Giants for first place in the National League West.
Puig and Reddick play the same position. Neither has been a part-time player in a platoon situation, and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Monday that Puig “stormed off after arriving at Dodger Stadium and being informed that he would either be traded or sent to the minors, according to major league sources.”
Zaidi declined to comment directly on the report, but he noted that the club is still “sorting out the 25-man roster.”
Asked if Puig is his friend, Zaidi said, “he’s as much my friend as any player on the team.”
Meanwhile, most of the top names in the Dodgers’ farm system stayed put. Right-handed pitchers Grant Holmes, Jharel Cotton and Frankie Montas went to Oakland in a three-for-two swap for Hill and Reddick.
Pitcher Mike Bolsinger went to the Toronto Blue Jays for reliever Jesse Chavez, a Fontana native, and cash. In the final move before the deadline, the Houston Astros sent Triple-A reliever Josh Fields to the Dodgers for Yordan Alvarez, a 19-year-old first baseman.
In the final analysis, the Dodgers acquired three impact major leaguers whose contracts expire this winter. They did not surrender Julio Urias, Jose De Leon, Cody Bellinger, Yadier Alvarez, Yusniel Diaz or Alex Verdugo — all prospects who made the Dodgers’ farm system among the best in baseball.
The three trades pose more risk to the present than the future, particularly because of Hill and Reddick’s health.
Hill is on the 15-day disabled list with a finger blister and can’t be activated before Thursday. The 36-year-old left-hander also missed time this year with a groin injury. Zaidi said he did not have an exact timetable for when Hill might be activated. Reddick missed time earlier this year with a fractured hand.
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When healthy, Hill and Reddick have been productive contributors. Hill is 9-3 in 14 starts with a 2.25 ERA, lower than any American League pitcher who’s thrown 70 iings this year. Reddick, 29, hit .296 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 68 games with Oakland. He bats left-handed and throws right.
“(Reddick) is a two-way player, a power hitter, a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder. I think he was as good as any position player available in this trade market,” Zaidi said. “Hill, just from a pure performance standpoint, is as good as any pitcher traded today or in the last week or so.”
The Dodgers now have an enviably deep stash of lefty bats among Reddick, Chase Utley, Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez, Joc Pederson and the switching-hitting Yasmani Grandal.
Zaidi said he believes the team has adequate balance of right-handers to compete with a southpaw-heavy rotation in San Francisco.
Chavez, 32, has made 39 appearances out of the bullpen this season, going 1-2 with a 4.57 eaed-run average. Zaidi said he envisions the right-hander in a “swingman” role, capable of pitching multiple iings out of the bullpen or starting on short notice.
Fields, 30, has made 15 relief appearances in the majors this season (0-0, 6.89 ERA) and 23 at Triple-A (1-0, 1.65).
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نویسنده: جمشید رضایی