Byung-hyuk Chun (Reporter) = The Los Angeles Dodgers, the perennial favorites in Major League Baseball (MLB), have bolstered their mound ahead of fall baseball.
The Dodgers announced that they acquired starting pitcher Lance Lynn (36) and reliever Joe Kelly (35) in a two-for-three trade with the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 29 (KST).
In exchange, the Dodgers sent outfielder Trayce Thompson and minor league pitching prospects Nick Nastrini and Jordan Ledger to the White Sox.
The Dodgers, who are in first place in the National League West, are poised to make the postseason for the 11th consecutive year barring an upset.
However, the Dodgers are still rehabbing ace Walker Buehler, who underwent elbow ligament reconstruction surgery last year, trusted ace Julio Urias has struggled mightily this season, and Clayton Kershaw has been plagued by frequent injuries.
The Dodgers’ newest acquisition, Lin has struggled this season, going 6-9 with a 6.47 ERA in 21 starts.
However, he is a highly regarded pitcher in the majors, having finished in the top six of the Cy Young Award voting three times since 2019.
Kelly, who throws a hard fastball that tops out at 160 mph, is a former bullpen arm who pitched for the Dodgers from 2019-2021.
He had a disappointing season with a 1-5 record, 11 strikeouts, one save, and a 4.97 ERA.
In particular, he failed to protect leads in six of his seven save opportunities.
However, Kelly came into fall ball strong, having won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox and Dodgers.온라인바카라
The Dodgers have appeared in the postseason for the past 10 consecutive years, but have only won one World Series since 2020.
The Dodgers front office realized that they couldn’t get back to the top this fall without bolstering their biggest weakness: the mound.