LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers got the two-way star they wanted. Now they’ve added some of the front-line pitching they need.
The Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays officially announced a trade Saturday that will bring right-hander Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot to Los Angeles (along with $4 million in cash considerations) in exchange for right-hander Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca.
The deal was contingent on the Dodgers reaching an agreement on a contract extension with Glasnow, who could have been a free agent following the 2024 season. That deal is for five years and $136.5 million, including the $25 million he was scheduled to make in 2024.
The trade allows the budget-conscious Rays to trim $30 million from next season’s payroll and swap two players who were headed to free agency following the 2024 season for two affordable, young players who are years away from salary arbitration or free agency.
Margot is scheduled to make $10 million in 2024, the second year of a two-year, $19 million extension he signed with the Rays (which also includes a $12 million club option for 2025).
Glasnow, who starred at Santa Clarita’s Hart High, immediately goes to the front of the Dodgers’ 2024 starting rotation with Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller. The 30-year-old right-hander has premium stuff, including a fastball that averages 97 mph, a curveball that held hitters to a .095 batting average (10 for 105) last season and a 90-mph slider.
Last season, Glasnow went 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA and 162 strikeouts with just 37 walks in 120 innings. But the 21 starts and 120 innings were career-highs for the 6-foot-8 Glasnow, who has been frequently sidelined by injuries including missing nearly all of the 2022 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Margot, meanwhile, is an above-average defender in right and center field who figures to fit into the Dodgers’ outfield as a platoon partner for left-handed hitters Jason Heyward or James Outman. Over his career, Margot has hit significantly better against left-handed pitching (a .288 average and .760 OPS) than right-handers (.244 and .664).
In the 26-year-old Pepiot, the Dodgers give up a young pitcher who was expected to open the season in their starting rotation. That was true last year as well, but Pepiot suffered a rib injury late in spring training and did not make his season debut with the Dodgers until August. He pitched well in eight appearances (three starts) with the Dodgers, posting a 2.14 ERA and 0.76 WHIP over 42 innings.
The 25-year-old DeLuca, who starred at Agoura High, made his major-league debut last season, batting .262 with two home runs in 24 games.
Subtracting Pepiot still leaves the Dodgers in need of starting pitching. Returning from a second Tommy John surgery, Buehler is likely to have his workload managed carefully. Glasnow has thrown more than 90 innings in a season just twice in his eight big-league seasons. Behind those two, the Dodgers have young pitchers Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, Kyle Hurt and Landon Knack, with swingman Ryan Yarbrough the only established major-leaguer.
The Dodgers met with free-agent right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto last weekend and are expected to continue pursuing trade or free-agent options to add depth to their rotation.
Longtime Dodger Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, is a free agent who underwent shoulder surgery Nov. 3 and the 35-year-old lefty has yet to decide where or when he might pitch next season. He is not expected to return from his surgery until midseason.
