SAN FRANCISCO — The Dodgers are adding pitching at the trade deadline. He just might not be able to actually pitch for awhile.
The Dodgers have reportedly reached an agreement with the Kansas City Royals to acquire left-hander Danny Duffy in exchange for multiple players to be named later. The Royals are also reportedly including cash considerations to offset some of Duffy’s $15.5 million salary this season.
But the 32-year-old Duffy is currently on the injured list for the second time this season with a flexor strain in his pitching arm. He will be a free agent this winter and has a no-trade clause in his contract that he is expected to waive.
Duffy missed five weeks in May and June with the same injury. he returned to make five starts and one relief appearance but has not pitched since July 16, going back on the IL.
When he has pitched this season, Duffy has pitched well. In 13 appearances (12 starts), he has a 2.51 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 61 innings.
Duffy has spent his entire 11-year career with the Royals, who drafted him in the third round of the 2007 MLB draft. He is 68-68 with a 3.95 ERA in his career.
The Dodgers’ main need at the deadline this year is starting pitching and they are believed to be among the teams pursuing Washington’s Max Scherzer and Minnesota’s Jose Berrios. It’s uncertain when Duffy will be ready to pitch. But he could offer flexibility, slipping into a multi-innings relief role similar to the one filled by Julio Urias during last year’s postseason and allowing Urias to continue as a starter in the postseason.
More to come on this story.
Leave a Reply