Dodgers News: Los Angeles Close to Trading Vidal Nuno to Baltimore for Ryan Moseley

The Dodgers appear close to making a minor deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

L.A. would trade pitcher Vidal Nuno to the O’s for Ryan Moseley, according to the Baltimore Sun. Nuno was acquired from the Mariners for Carlos Ruiz in the Dodgers’ first offseason trade in November. His removal will open up a 40-man roster spot for Franklin Gutierrez.

#Orioles are closing in on a trade to acquire LHP Vidal Nuno from the #Dodgers for minor league RHP Ryan Moseley, per industry source.

— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) February 19, 2017

The 29-year-old lefty can make spot starts or come out of the pen for the pitch-needy Orioles. Nuno appeared in 55 games for Seattle last season, pitching to a 3.53 ERA. He has a career 4.02 ERA entering his fifth season. He’s best served as a left-handed specialist – the type has hit .224 against him in the majors.

Baltimore will be Nuno’s fifth different team in the last three seasons. He has three years of club control remaining.

For the Dodgers, the return is minor league arm Ryan Moseley. Moseley was an eighth round pick in the 2016 draft. He played catcher until his senior year of high school. After breaking into the Texas Tech rotation his freshman season, Moseley flashed first round pick-level upside the following year. He struggled afterwards and was pulled from the rotation his last year at Tech.

Moseley’s best asset, per scouts, is his fastball, which sits around 91-95. He has the upside of a power reliever, though the door isn’t shut on him developing back into a starter. The question is if his sophomore year was more a flash in the pan or a building point.