Los Angeles Dodgers acquire Josh Reddick and Rich Hill

The Los Angeles Dodgers crossed two needs off their checklist at once, nabbing Josh Reddick and Rich Hill from the Oakland Athletics for a trio of pitching prospects.

The Oakland Athletics moved two of their biggest trade chips in one deal, sending outfielder Josh Reddick and pitcher Rich Hill to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The A’s will receive pitching prospects Grant Holmes, Frankie Montas and Jharel Cotton in return, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:

There had been talk yesterday that Oakland was pursuing a contract extension with Hill, but Rosenthal quashed that possibility this morning and reported that the lefty would likely be traded instead.

The additions of Reddick and Hill address two major needs on a Dodgers team that finds itself only two games behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. L.A. has experienced a plethora of injuries to both its outfield (Andre Ethier, Trayce Thompson) and rotation (Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-jin Ryu, Brett Anderson, Alex Wood); Hill and Reddick will provide the roster a significant boost in that regard.

Reddick gives the Dodgers the left-handed, power-hitting corner outfielder that they have lacked. The 29-year-old has been limited to 68 games this year after missing over a month with a fractured thumb, but when he has been on the field he’s performed well at the plate. Reddick owns a .296/.368/.449 slash line with eight home runs and 28 RBI over 272 plate appearances. His current .816 OPS would be the best mark of his career.

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The arrival of Reddick could also very well mean the end of Yasiel Puig‘s time with the Boys in the Blue. Given the 25-year-old’s disappointing results so far this year (.706 OPS), Reddick should represent a sizable upgrade over him in right field. With the White Sox circling, look for Puig to potentially be dealt as well by this afternoon’s deadline.

Rich Hill is a much bigger risk for the Dodgers, however. Due to persistent blister problems, he has only made three starts since May 29. He was supposed to make a pre-deadline outing yesterday, but lingering discomfort with the blister on his throwing hand forced the A’s to scratch him. He claims to be improving, though, and L.A. will certainly hope he’s ready to go soon.

In 14 starts this year, Hill has posted a 2.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 3.21 K/BB ratio, maintaining the impressive form he demonstrated with the Red Sox last September that netted him a one-year, $6 million with the A’s during the offseason. If the Dodgers can get that kind of pitcher, it will be a major help to them for the stretch run and beyond.

Reddick and Hill are both impending free agents as well, giving the Dodgers flexibility in the upcoming winter.

Holmes, Montas and Cotton were the #5, #8 and #13 ranked prospects in the Dodgers system prior to the deal, respectively, as per MLB Pipeline. All are right-handers and have been praised by scouts for their stuff. Montas in particular has been known to hit triple-digits with his fastball, but MLB Pipeline’s scouting report describes him as more of a thrower than a pitcher at this point, and wonders if he will wind up in the bullpen somewhere down the road.

It looks like a quality package for an Oakland organization that will try to continue developing them into impact major league arms.

Next: Marlins send Colin Rea back to Padres

With only a couple hours to go until the deadline, stay tuned for more news on trades as they happen.