The Dodgers and Blue Jays didn’t need a World Series matchup to do business Tuesday.
Los Angeles sent 25-year-old relief pitcher José Rodríguez to Toronto in exchange for 20-year-old pitcher Sebastian Rodriguez, a small trade with a clear angle: the Blue Jays get the arm closer to the majors, while the Dodgers add a younger pitcher from the other side of the deal.
José Rodríguez had put together a solid year at Triple-A with the Oklahoma City Comets, the Dodgers’ top farm team. He went 4-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 21 games, striking out 36 batters in 29.1 innings while posting a 1.40 WHIP. A native of Oaxaca, Mexico, he spent six seasons in the Dodgers’ organization, but he was unlikely to break into Los Angeles’ major league bullpen this season.
Toronto should offer him a clearer path. The Blue Jays have been battered by injuries on the pitching side all year, and that has left them fighting to stay in the mix. Through Monday, they were 68-70, sitting 1.5 games behind the final wild-card spot in the AL while also trailing Tampa Bay by 14.5 games for the top spot in the division.
Rodríguez also got six spring training appearances with the Dodgers, going 1-1 with a 7.20 ERA and one save. In five innings, he allowed eight hits, four runs and two walks, and he struck out seven.
MLB Pipeline ranked José Rodríguez as the No. 29 prospect in the Dodgers’ system. His changeup is described as his primary weapon, “with tremendous fade and some depth as well,” and the scouting report added: “Though he’s a lanky 6-foot-6, Rodriguez repeats his mechanics well enough to provide consistent strikes,” The report also noted that he gets “7+ feet of extension” in his delivery and that added strength could lift his stuff and improve his chances of becoming a No. 4 starter.
Sebastian Rodriguez signed with Toronto out of Venezuela in June and went 4-0 with 11 strikeouts in nine innings over seven Dominican Summer League games.
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