The Los Angeles are approaching the trade deadline with several holes drilled into the roster that can be patched with the right deal.
The danger of presenting yourself with these potential moves is clear, especially given the ‘ history, given the trade deadlines for relief pitching and current injuries in the pitching roster.
However, LA has been designated as the best option for what will be the major bullpen upgrade by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, and it is easily proven to be worth the risk.
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Passan named the Cleveland Guardian right-handed Reliever Cade Smith the best one for the .
Smith is off the 1.91 ERA rookie season, which ended with finishing in the top 10 in the Cy Young Award poll. His ERA has grown to 3.12 this season, but he is one of the best in the league in terms of swing and miss rates and strikeout rates.
Right-handed is in the 96th percentile with a strikeout rate of 34.4% and also in the 96th percentile with Wiferate, swinging batters and missing 35.4%.
The 26-year-old has been struggling recently, pitching a 5.59 ERA in his last 10 appearances, but this could be a negotiable production for LA, as Smith has four years of club control. Smith’s 96.4 mph average fastball speed is ranked in the 82nd percentile of active pitchers, with batters only batting average of 0.187 against this season.
If you can get Smith at the right price, you can easily prove that he is a fearful part of the ailing bullpen. If the assets provided by LA are too valuable in the transaction, better trades will likely be found elsewhere.
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Photo credit: Dennis Lee-Immagn Image
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