The Los Angeles Dodgers, currently the best team in Major League Baseball, acquired starting pitcher Yu Darvish from Texas Rangers and boosted their bullpen after getting relievers Tony Watson from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tony Cingrani from Cincinnati Reds before the non-waiver trade deadline.
The Dodgers shipped prospects second baseman/outfielder Willie Calhoun, pitcher A.J.
Alexy, and infielder Brendon Davis, the team’s No. 4, 17 and 27 prospects, respectively. The Dodgers boosted their pitching staff without giving up their top three prospects -- Walker Buehler, Alex Verdugo, and Yadier Alvarez.
Los Angeles traded right-handed pitcher Angel German and No. 21 prospect, infielder Oneil Cruz, to the Pirates for Watson. They swapped outfielder Scott Van Slyke and catcher Hendrik Clementina with the Reds for the 28-year-old Cingrani.
A four-time All-Star, Darvish is 6-9 with a 4.01 ERA with the Rangers this season. Signed by the Rangers in 2012 after being Japan’s top pitcher for seven years, Darvish will be eligible for free agency after this season.
The 32-year-old Watson was the Pirates former closer, tallying 10 saves but has a 3.66 ERA. Cingrani, for his part, has a 5.40 ERA in 25 games. Darvish will join the Dodgers rotation that includes Alex Wood, Rich Hill, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Kenta Maeda. Clayton Kershaw is currently on the 10-day disabled list due to back strain. Currently, the Dodgers own the best record in baseball at 74-31, 14 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West.
Yankees get Sonny Gray from A’s
The New York Yankees also added a solid starter after acquiring right-hander Sonny Gray from the Oakland Athletics for prospects Dustin Fowler, infielder Jorge Mateo and right-handed pitcher James Kaprielian. The 27-year-old Gray is seen as the top available starter in the market.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the team improved with the addition of the 27-year-old Gray, who has a 6-5 record with a 3.43 ERA in 16 starts this season. He will take the starting spot vacated by Michael Pineda, who recently underwent a season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery. The Yankees (56-47), are just a half-game ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
Astros acquire left-hander Francisco Liriano from Blue Jays
The Houston Astros added veteran pitcher Francisco Liriano from the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielders Norichika Aoki and Teoscar Hernandez. According to manager A.J. Hinch, the 33-year-old Liriano will pitch out of the bullpen. Liriano tallied a 6-5 mark in 18 starts for the Blue Jays in 2017.