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Reddick, Hill among Dodgers' Deadline haul
3 prospects sent to A's for pair; Chavez, Fields also acquired
By Ken Gurnick
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers wouldn't discuss the whereabouts of Yasiel Puig on Monday, but management now has starting pitcher Rich Hill, outfielder Josh Reddick and reliever Jesse Chavez after non-waiver Trade Deadline moves that didn't cost the organization's most treasured prospects.Reddick presumably takes over right field, especially if reports
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers wouldn't discuss the whereabouts of Yasiel Puig on Monday, but management now has starting pitcher Rich Hill, outfielder Josh Reddick and reliever Jesse Chavez after non-waiver Trade Deadline moves that didn't cost the organization's most treasured prospects.
Reddick presumably takes over right field, especially if reports are true that Puig skipped the team plane to Denver after the Dodgers obtained Reddick and Hill from Oakland for Minor League pitchers Grant Holmes, Jharel Cotton and Frankie Montas.
• Puig reportedly not on team flight to Denver
The Dodgers later dealt Mike Bolsinger to Toronto for swingman Chavez and a reported $1.15 million. Shortly after the Chavez deal, the Dodgers obtained right-handed reliever Josh Fields from Houston for Minor League first baseman Yordan Alvarez and transferred Hyun-Jin Ryu to the 60-day disabled list. Ryu, after missing 1 1/2 seasons following shoulder surgery, made one start for the Dodgers, then he was sidelined by a sore left elbow.
While the Dodgers dealt five Minor Leaguers, they weren't starting pitchers Julio Urías and Jose De Leon, or top hitters Cody Bellinger and Alex Verdugo.
• Dodgers' Top 30 Prospects
But the club addressed needs in the starting rotation with Hill (as soon as his blister heals), outfield production with Reddick and the taxed bullpen with Chavez, who has started and relieved in his career and could serve both roles with the Dodgers.
"We were real motivated to keep the momentum going and help the team's recent surge continue," said general manager Farhan Zaidi. "We're in a pretty good position to make a run, and we wanted to go out and get the pieces to help."
Zaidi said the deals were not specifically tied to the injuries that have Clayton Kershaw and Andre Ethier out indefinitely.
"We're hopeful [for their return], but we certainly can't plan on it," he said. "We have to take the approach with the information we have. You can't do shopping later."
Zaidi said he wasn't sure when Hill would be able to start (he went on the disabled list July 18), but said it should be soon. He labeled both Hill and Reddick as "impact players," calling Reddick "as good as any position player available in this trade market" and Hill "as a starting pitcher on pure performance, as good or better than any starting pitcher traded in the last week or so."
He said the club would continue to be aggressive seeking waiver trades.
Hill eventually should bring a needed reinforcement to a decimated rotation that currently has only three healthy starters -- Scott Kazmir, Kenta Maeda and Brandon McCarthy. Bud Norris was forced from Sunday's start after two batters with lat pain, and his status is uncertain.
Norris could join on the sidelines Kershaw, Ryu, Alex Wood and Brett Anderson, the latter perhaps two rehab starts away from returning to the club.
Reddick, 29, is a left-handed hitter, suggesting the Dodgers are uncertain what they will get this year from Ethier, who still hasn't returned from a broken right leg suffered in Spring Training. Reddick is batting .296 this year with an .816 OPS.
In 2012, he slugged 32 homers with 85 RBIs and won a Gold Glove. He has eight homers and 28 RBIs this year, missing six weeks with a fractured left thumb.
Can't wait to start my journey in Dodger blue!!! Let's win a pennant race! .@BMcCarthy32 I need a profile pic.
— Mr. Irrelevant (@RealJoshReddick) August 1, 2016
Hill, 36, is 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 14 starts this year, and he could return from the blister as soon as later this week. Both Hill and Reddick can become free agents after this season.
Hill began his career as a starter, had Tommy John surgery in 2011 and returned as a reliever. A year ago, he was in independent ball, but he revived his career as a starter with Boston and was signed for 2016 by Oakland. Of his 14 starts this year, three have been longer than six innings, but only three shorter than five innings -- two in April, the other July 17 because of the blister.
"This is a team with Minor League pitching depth in the pipeline, so meeting our trade needs from the pitching side was our preference," said Zaidi. "There was a competitive market for the two players we got, so we knew we would have to give up players we liked."
Cotton, 24, went 8-5 with a 4.90 ERA in 22 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City this year to earn a selection to the All-Star Futures Game. Holmes, 20, went 8-4 with a 4.02 ERA in 20 games with Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga this year. He was originally selected in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2014 Draft. Montas, 23, has spent most of the season on the disabled list with rib resection surgery in February. He was acquired over the winter from the White Sox.
Chavez, 32, is a California native who will bolster the Dodgers' taxed bullpen. He is 1-2 with a 4.57 ERA in 39 games. Chavez also pitched four years with Oakland, when Zaidi was an executive there.
Chavez has been a reliever for most of his career, however he started a combined 47 games in 2014 and '15 before returning to the bullpen this year.
As a former starter who has thrown as many as three innings twice this year, Chavez fits as the multi-inning long reliever the Dodgers originally thought Joe Blanton would be until he inherited the setup role from Chris Hatcher.
Chavez is eligible to be a free agent after this season.
Bolsinger was given a chance to fill in for the Dodgers' injury-wracked starting rotation, but he was sent back to Oklahoma City after going 1-4 with a 6.83 ERA in six starts.
Fields, 30, had a 6.89 ERA in 15 games with the Astros early in the year, then was sent down to Triple-A Fresno, where he had a 1.65 ERA in 23 games.
Fantasy spin | Fred Zinkie (@FredZinkieMLB)
Potentially set to face right-handed pitching almost exclusively, Reddick may see his chances to accrue counting stats hindered by this move. But with his exposure to southpaws limited, the left-handed slugger could enjoy an uptick in the batting-average department. Overall, he should remain useful in leagues with at least 12 teams. Hill -- the other name moving from Oakland to Los Angeles -- has thrived this year (2.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP) and could continue to do so for a National League contender. His health woes notwithstanding, the 36-year-old has the upside of big league ace. In Oakland, Jesse Hahn (career 3.69 ERA) could be a useful spot-starter in all leagues if given the chance to assume Hill's rotation spot.
Josh Fields