2 Starting Pitchers Linked to Dodgers as Potential Cheaper Trade Deadline Targets
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The July 30 trade deadline is approaching. Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain sat down with ESPN’s Buster Olney to discuss all things Dodgers, including potential trade deadline targets.
Olney suggested two players who would serve as cheaper options than the top-end names.
“If you want to go rental, Jack Flaherty and the hometown kid, maybe that would be something that Dodgers would take a look at," Olney said. "We do know he's going to be available.”
Flaherty is currently signed on a one-year, $14 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. The right-handed pitcher has made 16 appearances this season with a 6-5 record. He has posted a 3.13 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, accumulating 119 strikeouts and 16 walks.
The second option is a pitcher signed on a three-year, $36 million contract with the Blue Jays. He has a 4.42 ERA with 117 strikeouts and 26 walks across 106 innings this season.
“An interesting name to me is Yusei Kikuchi," Olney said. "In recent days, the Toronto Blue Jays had been communicating with other teams, ‘Yep. All of our rentals are going to be available before the trade deadline.' They're clearly making decisions — they put Kevin Kiermaier on the waiver wire. Kikuchi is someone who's had a great year coming off one of the best starts of his career. He's left-handed.”
Another benefit of Kikuchi is he already has a relationship with a Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani.
“If you remember when there were those 24 hours when we wondered if Ohtani was going to wind up with the Blue Jays, one of the theories was that he was going to wind up with Kikuchi and they were going to do something about a restaurant and I didn't quite follow it. But maybe Kikuchi is gonna go to the Dodgers to join Ohtani.”
A few other names were mentioned by Olney including Chris Bassett, Tarik Skubal, Bo Bichette, and Luis Robert Jr. But, Flaherty and Kikuchi were two of his favorites.
“Those would be two of the more interesting names to me.”