Prior to Clayton Kershaw landing on the disabled list with a mild disc herniation, the Los Angeles Dodgers were said to have interest in trading for Atlanta Braves right-hander Julio Teheran or Oakland Athletics starter Sonny Gray.
While the Dodgers have since completed a trade with the Braves — acquiring Bud Norris in a five-player deal — the widespread belief is Los Angeles is still interested in upgrading their rotation. Kershaw’s absence places more strain on a rotation that’s largely struggled with consistently pitching deep into games.
To their credit, Kenta Maeda, Norris and Scott Kazmir each turned in six innings of work, allowing a combined one run and totaling 24 strikeouts since it became clear Kershaw would be lost to the disabled list.
Nonetheless, the Dodgers reportedly have interest in frontline starter Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays, though president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has thus far been rebuffed by his former club, per Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe:
The Dodgers have been sniffing hard on Archer but have been rebuffed so far. Despite the fact that Archer has had a poor season, there are obvious ties with Andrew Friedman now in charge of the Dodgers’ front office. The Dodgers are considered one of the few teams that can pull off a major deal for a pitcher given their potential trade chips with a rich farm system. But right now the answer on Archer is no.
Los Angeles reportedly is also among the teams interested in Rays’ lefty Matt Moore:
The Red Sox, Rangers, Dodgers, Yankees, Orioles, Astros, and Royals are all interested in Moore
The Dodgers were last linked to Archer in December 2015 when some speculated he may emerge as a trade target. Archer is just 4-11 this season with a 4.76 ERA, 4.34 FIP and 1.45 WHIP.
He’s coming off a season in which he went 12-13 with a 3.23 ERA, 2.90 FIP and 1.14 WHIP. Archer set career highs in starts (34), innings pitched (212) and strikeouts (252). The right-hander is signed through the 2019 season, with a $9 million team option for 2020 and $11 million team option for 2021.
Despite the down season, any trade for Archer presumably would require the Dodgers to send Tampa Bay a substantial haul. That in itself may prevent from the sides from completing a deal.
Moore, meanwhile, is 4-5 with a 4.67 ERA, 4.45 FIP and 1.32 WHIP this season. Those marks are improved on his numbers from 2015, and so too is Moore’s 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The 27-year-old lefty is signed through this season.
Moore’s contract includes team options for each of the next three seasons: $7 million for 2017, $9 million for 2018 and $10 million for 2019.
