Trade Central: Dodgers grab Reddick, Hill from A's

THE DEAL

The Dodgers bolstered both their struggling offense and ailing rotation three hours before the trade deadline on Monday, acquiring outfielder Josh Reddick and lefthander Rich Hill from the Athletics in exchange for well-regarded minor league righthanders Frankie Montas, Grant Holmes and Jharel Cotton.

Reddick joins a Dodgers offense that entered the day 17th in the majors in runs scored and 21st in OPS. Hill, meanwhile, fortifies a rotation that was down to three healthy starting pitchers in Scott Kazmir, Kenta Maeda and Brandon McCarthy. Los Angeles was already without Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Alex Wood due to injury and lost another pitcher when Bud Norris left Sunday’s game after one with what was described as “back muscle tightness.”

The A’s rebuild for the future got officially underway with the deal, with three of the Dodgers’ top 10 prospects in the Midseason Update joining Oakland and arguably becoming the top three pitching prospects in the A’s system immediately.

ATHLETICS ACQUIRE
Grant Holmes, rhp
Age: 20

The 2014 first-round pick ranked No. 60 in the BA Midseason Top 100 after holding his own in the hitter-friendly Cal League as a 20-year old and came in at No. 3 in a loaded Dodgers system. The stocky 6-foot-1, 215-pound South Carolina native features a fastball with late life that can get up to 95 mph, although scouts believe more velocity may be in there as he improves his mechanics and smooths out his delivery. He complements his fastball with a power curve in the 80-83 mph range with improving command and a hard 85-88 mph changeup that lags a bit behind the other two pitches but shows promise. Holmes also is mature beyond his years, which shows up in his approach to older batters in hitter-friendly ballparks, and possesses more athleticism than his stocky frame might indicate. With the potential for three plus pitches and good makeup and poise on the mound, Holmes projects as a No. 2 or 3 starter or possibly a power arm out of the bullpen if his changeup fails to develop.

Club (League)	Class	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
Rancho Cucamonga (California)	HiA	8	4	4.02	20	18	105.1	103	60	47	6	43	100

Frankie Montas, rhp
Age: 23

Montas, ranked No. 82 in BA’s Midseason Top 100, came to the Dodgers from the White Sox as a key piece of last offseason’s three-team trade involving Todd Frazier and Trayce Thompson, but injuries have ruined his first season with Los Angeles. The power-armed 6-foot-2, 255-pound Dominican has pitched only 16 innings this season after having surgery to remove his first right rib in the offseason and then breaking his second right rib in June. He also had two knee surgeries in 2014 that limited him to 15 starts. When healthy, Montas reaches 100 mph on his fastball regularly and complements it with a power slider, both of which helped him strike out 20 batters in 15 innings in his first major league stint last year. Montas’ size, delivery and lack of a third pitch have many scouts projecting him as a reliever, with Mets closer Jeurys Familia and Cubs closer Hector Rondon common player comps.

Club (League)	Class	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
Oklahoma City (Pacific Coast)	AAA	0	0	2.38	4	3	11.1	12	3	3	0	2	15
Tulsa (Texas)	AA	0	0	1.93	3	1	4.2	2	1	1	1	1	7

Jharel Cotton, rhp
Age: 24

The Virgin Islands native was an unheralded 20th-round selection out of East Carolina in 2012 but blossomed once he got into pro ball, upping his fastball velocity to 96 mph while featuring a double-plus changeup and quickly climbing the Dodgers system and prospect rankings. Cotton sits more often in the 92-93 range with his fastball and is able to manipulate the ball to add different types of movements, making it run, sink, or cut at different times. His fastball command and changeup and slider development are still works in progress, but he was still selected to the Futures Game this year as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. He is athletic delivery and quality of stuff overcomes his smaller 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame, allowing him to project as a No. 3 or 4 starter or potential closer thanks to the change.

Club (League)	Class	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
Oklahoma City (Pacific Coast)	AAA	8	5	4.90	22	16	97.1	80	59	53	12	32	119

DODGERS ACQUIRE
Josh Reddick, of
Age: 29

Reddick has never been able to replicate the power of his 32-home run season in 2012 in his first year with the Athletics, but has remained an above-average hitter while increasing his batting average and on-base percentage each of the past three seasons. The lefthanded-hitting Georgia native has been particularly effective against righthanders this season, pounding them for a .341/.408/.547 slash line compared to .172/.254/.172 against lefties (with no extra-base hits). A Gold Glove winner in right field as well back in ’12, Reddick slots into the Dodgers starting lineup in right and pushes Yasiel Puig to left field, to the bench or to another team in a trade. Injuries are a concern with Reddick, who missed six weeks earlier this year with a fractured thumb and is on pace to play less than 115 games for the third time in four years. He will be a free agent at the end of this season.

Club (League)	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Oakland (AL)	ML	.296	68	243	33	72	11	1	8	28	28	34	5	.368	.449

Rich Hill, lhp
Age: 36

Hill has been one of baseball’s best stories in recent seasons. The veteran was pitching in independent ball at age 35 in 2015 before being picked up by the Red Sox on a minor league contract and flourishing, ultimately landing a $6 million contract with the A’s last offseason. His four-seam fastball sits right around 90 mph, but he throws plenty of strikes with it and misses bats with his curveball, slider and changeup as well as his heater. Hill’s dominance has continued this season, although he is currently on the disabled list due to blisters on his pitching hand and also spent time of the DL with a groin injury earlier this season. He will go into the Dodgers rotation as soon as he comes off the DL, and will be a free agent at the end of this season.