The Dodgers have added another lefty, picking up Tony Cingrani from the Reds. In return, Cincinnati has acquired outfielder Scott Van Slyke and catcher Hendrik Clementina.
Cingrani joins Tony Watson as southpaw bullpen additions for Los Angeles, which came into the deadline looking to bolster that facet of the relief corps. The 28-year-old Cingrani has posted a mediocre 5.40 ERA on the year, but he’s carrying 9.3 K/9 with 2.3 BB/9 to go with it. The real issue thus far has been a monumental home run problem: Cingrani is allowing 3.47 per nine, with 29% of the fly balls he permits leaving the yard.
Oddly, Cingrani has struggled badly against same-handed hitters, allowing six long balls from just 43 lefties he has squared off against. That figures to balance back out somewhat, though, as he has limited lefty hitters to a .218/.305/.407 slash over his career (including this year’s ugly results).
Assuming those issues can be brought under control, Cingrani will add a power arm to the L.A. pen. He carries a 12.4% swinging-strike rate and is averaging a healthy 94.6 mph with his fastball. Cingrani represents an affordable option with some future value, too. He is earning just $1.825MM this year and can be offered arbitration over the next two seasons.
Van Slyke, 31, is another powerful corner outfield option that the Reds have added from the NL West. It’s not immediately clear whether he’ll have much function on the roster, though, and he’ll mostly offset Cingrani’s remaining salary obligations. The real motivation for Cincinnati was surely to add the twenty-year-old Clementina. He’s a Curacaoan backstop who has turned it up at the plate this year in Rookie ball, slashing .370/.439/.554 in a limited 108 plate appearance sample.
Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Cingrani was on the move (via Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (Twitter link) connected him to the Dodgers, while Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted the return.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nats or Astros
Rockies?
KC?
Bet it’s dodgers
To the dodgers
Cingrani to the dodgers
I remember back in 2013 when he looked like a very good starter. He’s got a great fastball.
It’s just too bad that’s the only pitch he throws.
Yeah and the fact he can’t throw strikes.
Baltimore and San Diego’s asking price for Britton and Hand was too high…
Dodgers
Dodgers
LAD
im guessing texas. couldnt find a taker for Darvish so they instead add a controllable bullpen arm.
jk
He’s going to the dodgers
Stop deleting my comment
You stop it
I like how the photo is Tony Cingrani looking as confused as the rest of us on this trade.
Perfect.
Yeah you star f**kers have no clue. This guy will help look it up.
So he’s a really good speller? Knows his way around a thesaurus? Is his nickname “The Librarian?” I’m not sure what he’s looking up, but I hope it’s not his homeruns/9.
Hilarious haha
5 minutes, no comments. The baseball world is in stunned disbelief
Today’s secret word is: depth. The key to Dodger success. Two months to figure out who goes where.
Dodgers only picking up pitchers named Tony.
good buy-low for the dodgers. still think they should’ve got darvish though
For what?
Dodgers
So, where’s the starting pitcher? Now we have too many LH relievers and not enough starters…come on Friedman, Yu know what time it is
What did we give up?!
Scott Van Slyke
Don’t forget Clementina.
Probably a non-factor, but Clementina has the same hometown as Kenley Jansen and is a year younger than Jansen was when the Dodgers moved him from C to the mound.
So, you never know.
Doesn’t every ballplayer from Curacao have the same hometown?
Mike Petriello gave some interesting numbers:
Via Twitter “Tony Cingrani has a 24/6 K/BB in 23.1 innings… and somehow has allowed 9 homers.”
no britton and hand were at market value but teams wont pay the price for better chance to win the world series last year you see the quiet team at dealine make the world series
Next season’s Alex Wood
Dodgers just got Darvish.
Cingrani for Van Slyke
SVS will bit 25+ hrs as a Red if he stays healthy.
Buy low for both
He won’t get in the lineup enough to get 25 HRs. First base is out of the question with Votto and the corner OF is manned by Duvall and Schebler, both of whom are younger and putting up better numbers. I don’t get this return from a Reds perspective.
Even if they aren’t sold on Schebler, they have Jesse Winker ready in the minors to take over. This just makes no sense for a rebuilding Reds team.
The player the Reds wanted was Clementina and Van Slyke was a salary offset required for Cincinnati to get him.
If Clementina, an 18 year old probable 1B/DH not in the Dodgers top 30 prospects, was the player they coveted for a reliever with two years of control remaining, then the Reds have absolutely no idea what they are doing.
Hendrik is a 20yo solid fielding Catcher who is crushing the ball in this, his first real taste of advanced ball.
He’s not a ranked prospect, but he is making waves.
For a RP who is pitching poorly for his 4th straight year, not exactly sure what you were expecting
Clementina is 20. Also, Cingrani had a 5.40 ERA this season, you can’t expect much more than a solid lower level lottery ticket in return.
Also, the Reds were heavily criticized for other recent trades (mostly the Frazier one) and they have worked out fine.
Anyone that doesn’t have an AARP card.
I think Jesse Winker is the future at first base. VanSlyke will be a clubhouse guy.
Votto will be covering 1st for years to come. Winker will stay in the outfield.
How has that trade worked out fine? They sold low on Frazier, just like Chapman.
Any homers he hits are going to be in Louisville. If he’s not DFA’d tomorrow.
Dumping SVS makes this deal worth it right there
agree 1000%
Agree 1001%
Surprised the Pirates didn’t want Van Slyke, actually. They need warm body in the OF until Polanco gets back and people would have dug out their old Andy Van Slyke jerseys.
Pretty much a nothing for nothing deal.
SVS DFA just a prediction.
Probably. But he would be better than Alcantara for our bench.
Alcantara = .186/.194/.268
The problem is Alcantara is a super utility that is needed because of the Reds not wanting to lose Stuart Turner. I still don’t know what they like about Turner so much or why they can’t work out a trade.
Cingrani was very likely to get DFA at the end of the year or outrighted entirely since we have cheaper options emerging (Peralta, Hernandez) that have been more effective. Better to get a young player who is hitting the snot out of the ball than nothing at all. Cingrani could turn it around in LA, but be warned: he only has a fastball. That’s why his HR/9 is high. Batters can literally just expect a fastball every pitch.
Cingrani isnt a very team first kind of guy. This was a great move by the Reds. Maybe the change of scenery will do him some good. Van Slyke is just to offset salary. Clementina has hit everywhere he has been so far. Another smart move by the Reds.
If the Reds can get their pitching to pan out in any way they will win a lot of games.
VanSlyke became even more of an afterthought in this year’s crowded Dodger OF. He should get some ABs for Reds. Too bad Ethier has a herniated disk or else LAD could have used him as a trade chip.
Ether had full no trade rights