The Los Angeles Dodgers have added pitcher Mat Latos and outfielder Mike Morse in a trade with the Miami Marlins. They also received Miami’s compensatory draft pick in next year’s draft. The Marlins are getting 3 minor league pitchers in return.
Latos was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 11th round of the 2006 MLB Draft and made his debut with the Padres in 2009. He has since played for the Cincinnati Reds and the Marlins in his 7 year career.
Latos had a rough start to the season, but is 3-3 with a 2.96 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 9 walks in his last 7 starts. He will join a rotation that includes Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, but has lost Hyun-jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy to season-ending injuries.
Morse was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 3rd round of the 2000 MLB Draft and made his debut in 2005 with the Seattle Mariners. He is in his 11th season and the Dodgers will be his 6th team. Since 2012, he has played for the Washington Nationals, Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, Marlins, and now the Dodgers.
Morse will be joining a crowded outfield in Los Angeles. The Dodgers have Andre Ethier in left, Joc Pederson in center, and Yasiel Puig in right, with Carl Crawford backing them up. Morse, who is hitting just .214, spent about 6 weeks on the disabled list with a sprained ring finger on his right hand.
The Dodgers currently hold a half game lead over the Giants. They are hoping that Latos can give them enough pitching to hold off the Giants and make a deep playoff run. The Giants proved last season that pitching wins championships.
Morse is signed through the 2016 season, whereas Latos is a free agent after the 2015 season.
Update July 29, 7:20pm:
According to the Miami Herald, the trade is not complete and could fall through. There are reports that their is a third team involved that the Dodgers are trying to flip Morse to. More details to follow as they come in.
Update July 30, 3:15pm:
The Atlanta Braves are now in on this deal.
The Dodgers get pitchers Alex Wood, Luis Avilan, Jim Johnson, Bronson Arroyo, and AAA second baseman Jose Peraza from the Braves, and Latos and Morse from the Marlins.
The Braves get pitcher Paco Rodriguez, AAA second baseman Hector Olivera,and Class A pitcher Zachary Bird from the Dodgers and the 2016 Competitive Balance Draft pic (#34 overall) from the Marlins.
The Marlins get Class A pitchers Jeff Brigham, Kevin Guzman, and Victor Araujo from the Dodgers.
Statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com.
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