Prior to and since their trade for All-Star shortstop Manny Machado, the Los Angeles Dodgers have remained mindful of potential pitching acquisitions ahead of the July 31 non-waiver deadline.
Although general manager Farhan Zaidi indicated the club the was monitoring the market for both starting and relief pitchers, their focus appears to primarily lie with addressing the bullpen. Seemingly at the center of that is Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton.
The Dodgers are among several teams who have been linked to the left-hander, much like last year when Baltimore explored parting with Britton.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, one trade proposal the Dodgers have put together for Britton includes Yasiel Puig:
The Orioles are talking with a lot of teams about Zach Britton, including the Dodgers — and given that the Dodgers are working to stay under luxury-tax threshold, Yasiel Puig's inclusion (plus more) is one concept that has been raised to offset Britton's remaining salary.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 24, 2018
That the Orioles did not include any cash considerations to help pay for Machado’s remaining salary was a mild surprise. Since the offseason the Dodgers have operated to get — and remain — below the $197 million tax threshold in order to reset their penalties.
With that, some believed the Dodgers would look to include a player from their Major League roster, with Logan Forsythe the most-speculated name, in a Machado trade. Puig is earning $7.5 million this season and is due to become arbitration-eligible in the winter.
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