In the week leading up to the MLB trade deadline on Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers were expected to be one of the more aggressive teams pursuing upgrades as they look to win a ninth consecutive National League West title and defend their World Series championship. Those betting on baseball have the odds slide a little against the Dodgers, however, they remain the favorites heading into the deadline.
To this point, the club has made mostly minor moves, acquiring several relievers who were designated for assignment, and most recently, outfielder Billy McKinney from the New York Mets.
Arguably the biggest focus of the Dodgers is bolstering a starting rotation that has been decimated by injuries and other unfortunate circumstances. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman indicated as such earlier this month but also didn’t rule out the possibility of upgrading the bullpen.
The first domino reportedly has fallen, as according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan the Dodgers are acquiring Danny Duffy from the Kansas City Royals:
The Los Angeles Dodgers are finalizing a deal to acquire left-hander Danny Duffy from the Kansas City Royals, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 29, 2021
One more time: Kansas City will be getting players to be named later for from the Dodgers for Danny Duffy. They’ll have a few months to consider the ones on the list from the Dodgers and can choose from it.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 29, 2021
Duffy has a full no-trade clause by way of being a player with 10-and-5 rights that he will need to formally waive in order to finalize a trade to the Dodgers.
There had previously been conflicting reports on the Dodgers’ purported interest in the 32-year-old. Duffy is on the 10-day injured list with a left flexor strain, which previously caused him to miss six weeks this season.
He returned June 23 and pitched to a 3.72 ERA in six games (five starts), though didn’t go more than five innings in any of those appearances.
Overall this season Duffy is 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA, 4.17 FIP, and 1.32 WHIP in 13 games (12 starts). He is in the final season of a five-year, $65 million contracts signed with the Royals before the 2017 campaign.
Additional Dodgers Trade Targets
With reports indicating the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres are nearing a Max Scherzer trade, the Dodgers were expected to shift some of their focus to José Berríos or Jon Gray.
Acquiring Duffy, who is a back-of-the-rotation starter or potential relief pitcher, wouldn’t preclude L.A. from acquiring Berríos, Gray, or potentially sneaking back into the Scherzer sweepstakes.
