With a week and a half remaining until the July 31 trade deadline, the bullpen will undoubtedly be a focus of improvement for the Los Angeles Dodgers. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman reiterated he will be aggressive, but not reckless when pursuing upgrades.
The Dodgers have already been linked to a handful of potentially available relievers, including Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene, where L.A. reportedly had a scout present for the right-hander’s most recent appearance against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
The Dodgers have also scouted Kansas City Royals reliever Jake Diekman, who would fill a major need by bolstering the club’s left-handed depth in the bullpen.
As Los Angeles ponders potential additions to their relief corps, the organization recently cut ties with a notable name that had been pitching in the Minor League ranks.
According to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group, the Dodgers traded Justin Grimm to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for cash considerations:
Grimm, a seven-year MLB veteran who has enjoyed separate stints with the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners, signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers in March.
Though he never received a Major League promotion, the 30-year-old appeared in 35 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he compiled a 4-4 record, 6.10 ERA and 1.55 WHIP with 56 strikeouts against 15 walks over 41.1 innings pitched.
Grimm made his debut for the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate Louisville Bats on Friday, yielding two runs on two hits with three strikeouts in 1.1 innings of work.
Grimm, who has logged at least one Major League inning dating back to his rookie season in 2012, will look to pitch his way to a spot in the Reds bullpen. He enjoyed his most successful year in 2015 as a member of the Cubs, when he posted a minuscule 1.99 ERA, 3.11 FIP and 1.15 WHIP over 49.2 innings of work (62 appearances).
Grimm was additionally part of the 2016 Cubs World Series roster, though he didn’t quite enjoy that same level of success. He allowed four runs in two innings against the Cleveland Indians, appearing in three of the seven games.
The Dodgers recently made a similar trade involving a Minor League reliever, sending Adam McCreery and catcher Josh Thole to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for cash considerations.
