Dodgers get Lynn, Kelly in trade with White Sox

LOS ANGELES -- When making decisions, the Dodgers have often said they aren’t afraid in making bets on players and their track records.

On Friday, the Dodgers decided to make sizable bets by acquiring starter Lance Lynn and reliever Joe Kelly from the White Sox, two pitchers who have been successful in the past, but have had severe struggles in 2023.

Kelly has a $9.5 million club option for the 2024 season and Lynn has a $18 million club option. In all likelihood, those won’t be exercised, making this a two-month rental for both pitchers.

“Lance’s history of logging innings and a lot of the under-the-hood stuff is really strong -- high strikeouts, low walks, the batted-ball stuff is, as we know, noisy,” said Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes. “As for Joe, we know Joe really well. The stuff has been arguably the best it’s ever been. So that and continuing to build out the talent on the pitching staff was important to us.”

After making two moves to solidify their bench in Kiké Hernández and Amed Rosario, it was only a matter of time before the Dodgers made a splash on the pitching side. Their rotation, especially since Clayton Kershaw went down with a left shoulder injury last month, has been unstable.

Julio Urías and Tony Gonsolin haven’t performed like last season. Rookies Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan and Michael Grove have shown glimpses, but their learning curve was expedited due to a plethora of injuries to the starting rotation early in the season.

Because of those struggles, the Dodgers decided to take a flier on Lynn, who has an ability to at least log innings in starts. But Lynn’s effectiveness this season has been nowhere close to where it’s been throughout a solid career. Lynn comes to the Dodgers with a 6.47 ERA, which is technically still an upgrade over the 7.16 ERA that Noah Syndergaard -- who is now with the Guardians -- had over the first three months of the season.

“I’ve heard nothing but good things about him as far as the compete, the preparedness,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “He’s a guy that takes the baseball. He goes deep into games and, you know, victim of sort of the circumstance. I just feel that getting in this environment, playing meaningful games will bring out the best in him.”

For Lynn, the biggest problem this season has been keeping the ball in the park. He has allowed an MLB-leading 28 homers, and his 130 hits allowed were the most in the American League. The Dodgers, however, are banking on “under-the-hood” numbers and a high strikeout rate to get the veteran right-hander back on track.

If nothing else, Lynn gives the Dodgers another Major League starter who can at least log more innings than they’ve been getting from their current group.

“That’s why you play the game. To have that opportunity,” Lynn said, when asked about playing for a contender. “I’m happy to have the time I had [in Chicago]. But it is a business and sometimes, things happen. I’m just looking forward to making a playoff push.”

As for Kelly, he will now enter his second stint with the Dodgers. Kelly does give them another quality option in a bullpen that has been much better as of late. Expect Kelly to be used in the same role, as a high-leverage reliever in the middle innings.

“I also think that he’s a guy that, when they’re in a winning environment, they thrive,” Roberts said. “And so I know Joe’s happy to be back in Los Angeles.”

With four days left before Tuesday's Trade Deadline, the expectation is the Dodgers will remain aggressive in trade talks. Whether a deal comes to fruition remains to be seen. But Friedman and his associates have made it clear that they won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on a swap if it makes sense in the end.

“I think we feel really good about our team and the moves we’ve made,” Gomes said. “We’re always looking to improve. That won’t stop. We’ll take the coming days to assess what’s out there.”