While there was a stretch where the Los Angeles Dodgers were connected to Zach Britton, Brad Hand and Justin Wilson seemingly on a daily basis, they wound up with none of the three as the non-waiver trade deadline came and went Monday afternoon.
Wilson wound up with the Chicago Cubs, while Britton and Hand remained with the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres, respectively, due to exorbitant demands. In their quest to acquire a left-handed reliever the Dodgers first traded for Tony Watson of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Shortly after, Los Angeles was said to have completed a trade with Cincinnati Reds for another southpaw in Tony Cingrani, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:
Source: Cingrani traded to #Dodgers.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2017
Cingrani, like Watson, has struggled against same-side hitters as lefties are batting .293/.326/.829 off him this season, while right-handed hitters own a .255/.321/.490 slash line.
The Dodgers reportedly gave up a familiar face in Scott Van Slyke and minor league catcher Hendrik Clementina in the trade, via Joel Sherman of the New York Post:
#Dodgers traded Van Slyke an Clementina to #reds for Cingrani
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2017
Cingrani does provide some long-term benefit, however, as he’s under team control through the 2019 season. He’s earning $1.83 million this year.
The 28-year-old owns a 5.40 ERA, 7.01 FIP and 1.33 WHIP, all the while allowing home runs at a career-high 3.5 per nine innings. Cingrani’s 9.6 hits per nine would also set a career-worst mark.
While the Dodgers had their sights on elite relievers, the additions of Cingrani and Watson provide them with quantity and the added benefit of not losing any of the organization’s top prospects.
