The Dodgers are fully committed to making significant moves before the trade deadline. According to a report by Ken Rosenthal on Friday, the team is set to acquire two notable players from the White Sox: Lance Lynn, a former All-Star pitcher, and Joe Kelly, a beloved former reliever who was a fan favorite. The return package has yet to be discovered.
Both players have down years, so the Dodgers continue to make marginal upgrades as they try to find reclamation projects in this seller’s market. Kelly has a 4.97 ERA this season in 29 innings pitched. On the other hand, Lynn has an MLB-worst 6.47 ERA this season with an also MLB-worst 28 home runs allowed.
On the plus side, Lynn has an xERA of 4.82 while Kelly has an xERA of 3.23, according to Doug McKain of DodgersNation.com. Undoubtedly, some bad luck is involved, but the Dodgers may find it and return to their former level of excellence.
Both players have been outstanding during their primes, and the Dodgers are renowned for turning around players. He has been an All-Star twice for Lynn, most recently in 2021. He recorded a 2.69 ERA that year and came in third in the AL Cy Young vote.
So, Mark Prior and the Dodgers pitching instructors should be able to help Lynn recapture the form of his two most recent seasons if anyone can. Additionally, Lynn will consume innings because he has already thrown 119.2 this year, considerably more than any other LA pitcher (Kershaw has pitched 95.2).
Kelly’s most recent year of dominance was 2021, his final year in Los Angeles. The 12-year veteran had a 2.86 ERA that year, and in LA’s 2020 World Series title season, he had an even better 1.80 ERA.
He’s undoubtedly a step up over Phil Bickford, and the Dodgers will do everything in their power to bring him back to the player he was in 2021. The Dodgers are adamant that they’ll be active by this deadline while being prudent. I hope they can find some of these buy-low reclamation projects.
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