Dodgers acquire Lynn, Kelly from White Sox
The Los Angeles Dodgers bolstered their pitching staff for the stretch, acquiring right-handers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for pitching prospects Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure, and outfielder Trayce Thompson, the teams announced Friday.
Lynn agreed to waive his no-trade clause to join the Dodgers, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. The Dodgers were one of 10 teams on his limited no-trade list, sources told Jon Morosi of MLB Network this week.
Lynn, 36, is a veteran workhorse who can give the Dodgers some much-needed innings in the rotation. However, he's in the midst of a career-worst season, sporting a 6.47 ERA and 1.46 WHIP while allowing an MLB-high 28 home runs and an American League-leading 130 hits in 119.2 innings.
But there are some reasons for optimism with Lynn. He's still striking out batters, sporting a career-best 10.8 K/9 rate and a 26.9% strikeout percentage that's up almost 3% from last year. Lynn's also less than two years removed from finishing third in AL Cy Young voting.
Lynn, who is owed around $6.6 million over the rest of this season, comes with a $18-million club option for 2024. The option can alternatively be bought out for $1 million.
With Clayton Kershaw on the injured list and the ineffective Noah Syndergaard dealt to the Cleveland Guardians, the Dodgers have been desperate for some rotation help. Lynn can eat innings in the rotation while easing the load on rookies Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan, and Michael Grove, who've been forced to step up amid a slew of injuries to the team's staff.
Kelly, meanwhile, will be embarking on his second stint with the Dodgers. He was a staple of their bullpen from 2019-21 and helped them win a World Series in 2020. The 35-year-old owns a 4.97 ERA, 3.25 FIP, and 1.31 WHIP with 41 strikeouts with Chicago but has been limited to just 31 appearances because of groin and elbow injuries. His contract also contains a club option for 2024 that's worth $9 million, with a $1-million buyout, per Sherman.
To make room for the two new additions on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles designated infielder Eddys Leonard and left-hander Justin Bruihl for assignment.
Nastrini, ranked as the Dodgers' No. 9 prospect by MLB.com prior to the trade, is now in his third minor-league season. The 23-year-old owns a 4.03 ERA and 1.40 WHIP while averaging 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings and 4.5 walks per nine in 17 starts at Double-A Tulsa this year.
Leasure, 24, has been working as a closer in Double-A this season. The former 14th-round pick posted a 3.09 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 56 strikeouts, 16 walks, and nine saves in 35 innings with Tulsa.
Thompson, now in his seventh big-league season, hit .155/.310/.366 with five homers and 14 RBIs in 36 games this year before landing on the IL with an oblique injury in June. The 32-year-old had two hits for Triple-A Oklahoma City in a minor-league rehab game on Thursday.
This will be Thompson's third stint with the White Sox. He was drafted by the franchise in 2009 and played 92 total games for them during the 2015 and 2018 seasons.
The Tampa Bay Rays were reportedly also pursuing a deal for Lynn ahead of next Tuesday's trade deadline, while the Texas Rangers were said to be discussing a Lynn-Kelly trade. Kelly had reportedly also garnered interest from the Miami Marlins, among other teams.