The Los Angeles Dodgers traded Minor League outfielder Carlos Rincon to the New York Mets in exchange for Billy McKinney, who was designated for assignment five days ago. Jake Reed was designated for assignment in order to add McKinney to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster.
The deal is the first for L.A. ahead of what’s expected to be a busy MLB trade deadline. Much of that is expected to center around the Dodgers’ need for pitching, with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledging the team is canvassing for starters and bullpen help.
In the meantime, McKinney is an option to potentially supplement the Dodgers’ position player group that continues to absorb injuries. McKinney is out of Minor League options and will need to be kept on the active roster or exposed to waivers.
McKinney was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft, but made his debut with the New York Yankees five years later. The 26-year-old began this season with the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the Mets on May 26.
Between the two teams, the left-handed outfielder hit .213/.282/.415 with eight home runs. Over parts of four seasons McKinney is a career .225/.288/.430 batter with a 91 wRC+.
McKinney effectively is in the same mold as Luke Raley and Zach Reks, but with more Major League experience. The Dodgers have leaned on Raley, Reks and DJ Peters at various points this season because of injuries.
Dodgers part with Rincon
Rincon played in 63 games for Double-A Tulsa this year, batting .263 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI. He has been in the Dodgers’ farm system for six seasons, hitting a combined .244 with 84 homers and 259 RBI across six different levels.
The Dodgers signed Rincon as an international free agent on July 2, 2015, out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and more!
