“Mound woes over” Dodgers sign ‘129-win’ Lance Lynn & ‘fall guy’ Joe Kelly… Serious about challenging for pennant in 3 years

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• on Jul 29, 2023

The Los Angeles Dodgers, looking to win their first World Series in three years, have solved their bullpen woes with the addition of proven starters and relievers.

MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, reported on Sept. 29 (KST) that the Dodgers acquired right-handed starter Lance Lynn and right-handed reliever Joe Kelly in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, solving the team’s bullpen concerns in one fell swoop.

The Dodgers agreed to a two-for-three trade with the White Sox on Monday, acquiring Lance Lynn, 36, and Joe Kelly, 35, and sending outfielder Tracy Thompson, 32, and right-handed pitching prospects Nick Nastrini, 23, and Jordan Ledger, 25, in return. Thompson is the younger brother of NBA superstar Klay Thompson (33), while Nastrini is MLB Pipeline’s No. 9 prospect.메이저놀이터

Lynn is a veteran starter who made his big league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 and went on to play 13 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, and White Sox. He has a career major league record of 129-93 with a 3.71 ERA in 330 games and is a two-time All-Star (2012, 2021). However, in his 13th year, he slowed down a bit this year, going 6-9 with a 6.47 ERA in 21 games.

According to MLB.com, “The veteran Lin would immediately bolster a Dodgers rotation that has relied on several rookies due to injuries. Although he had a down year with the White Sox this year, he has finished in the top six of three Cy Young Award voting since 2019.”

Kelly is also a veteran bullpen arm who broke into the big leagues in 2012 with St. Louis and spent 12 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Dodgers, and White Sox. He is 52-37 with a 3.98 ERA in 439 games and seven saves, and returned to the Dodgers after two seasons in 2021.

This year with the White Sox, he was 1-5 with a 4.97 ERA in 31 games and one save. He spent a lot of time on the disabled list with a groin strain and right elbow inflammation.

Kelly once made a name for himself as a major league fall guy. He won championship rings with Boston in 2018 and the Dodgers in 2020, and has a career postseason ERA of 3.55. “The trade reunites Kelly with the Dodgers, who had the best years of his career from 2019 to 2021, including a World Series title in 2020,” MLB.com observed.

The Dodgers are in first place in the National League West, three games ahead of the rival San Francisco Giants. They are looking to win the World Series for the first time in three years since 2020.