Shortly after the Los Angeles Dodgers finalized a trade for starting pitcher Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick from the Oakland Athletics, they acquired relief pitcher Jesse Chavez from the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays will receive pitcher Mike Bolsinger.
Dodgers Add Jesse Chavez from Blue Jays
Chavez, 32, is a California native and has pitched well for the Blue Jays this year. In thirty-nine appearances, the right-hander has a 4.57 ERA and averages just over a strikeout per inning. He has a career best 4.2 strikeout to walk ratio, up significantly from 2.83 in 2015.
Chavez has been susceptible this year to the long ball, allowing nine home runs in 41.1 innings. The Dodgers hope that a more pitcher friendly stadium will help reduce those numbers, and add a needed right-hander out of the bullpen.
The Dodgers have a 3.03 bullpen ERA, the best in baseball, but it has come at a price. The bullpen has pitched 359.1 innings this season which is the fifth highest in the majors. Adding Chavez will help alleviate the innings pitched by other relievers.
Bolsinger, 28, has struggled this season with the Dodgers. In six starts this year, he has a record of 1-4 and a 6.83 ERA. He has spent the past couple months in Triple-A Oklahoma City, but has been relegated to the bullpen. He pitched well for the team last year, going 6-6 with a 3.62 ERA in twenty-one starts in the majors. The Blue Jays will hope that he can return to that form again.
Both the Dodgers and the Blue Jays are in a battle for their respective divisions. The Dodgers sit two games back of the struggling San Francisco Giants, and the Blue Jays are half a game behind the Baltimore Orioles. Both teams hope these additions will help them close those gaps as they enter the final two months of the season.
One thing is certain – Chavez will no longer need his passport upon returning home from each road trip.
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