The Los Angeles Dodgers have been crushed with injuries this season, particularly handicapping their pitching staff.
With the Dodgers reportedly dangling Dustin May as a trade chip, it’s almost a guarantee they add one or two starting pitchers at the trade deadline.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer recently listed the Dodgers as a potential fit in a deal for “under-the-radar” trade candidate Adrian Houser of the Chicago White Sox.
“Houser has not given up more than three earned runs in any of his 11 starts since May 20, and his overall 2.10 ERA is the seventh-best in MLB for this span,” Rymer wrote. “Even his kinda-sorta former teammate, Jacob deGrom, doesn’t have him beat.
“The catch with Houser’s current dominance is he’s sticking with a pitch-to-contact style that has always been his trademark. He is doing so effectively, however, mainly by way of well-above-average ground ball and barrel rates. He’s at worst an innings-eater for the stretch run, and potentially a No. 3 or No. 4 in a playoff rotation. At worst, he could work as a long man out of the bullpen.”
A trade for Houser could make sense for the Dodgers if he’s as affordable to acquire as it would seem.
Even as the Dodgers pitching staff starts to recover, Houser could eat innings at the back end rather than Los Angeles calling up unproven prospects who aren’t ready for the big leagues.
If everybody returns to the team healthy ahead of the postseason, Houser could be moved to the bullpen as a long relief option.
But this only makes sense if he’s very easy to acquire. The righty has been excellent this season, so it’s unclear what his trade value is.
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