Dodgers Trade Minor League Reliever to Detroit Tigers for Cash
A little housekeeping from over the weekend. The Dodgers and Tigers came together on a trade that sent minor league reliever Lael Lockhart to Detroit for cash considerations. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic was the first to report the deal on Twitter.
Tigers have acquired minor-league LHP Lael Lockhart from the Dodgers via trade. He's been assigned to Double-A Erie.
— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) May 27, 2023
Lockhart was a 9th round draft pick out of the University of Arkansas in 2021. The 25-year-old left-hander has spent time starting and relieving in the Dodgers’ minor league system but has struggled while trying to climb the ranks. He pitched well at High-A Great Lakes last year, posting a 3.16 ERA while striking out 85 batters over 77 IP. He also reached Double-A last year but has a 6.89 ERA in 16 games at the level. Altogether, Lockhart owns a 4.55 ERA over 45 appearances (16 starts) since 2021.
It feels like this could be a situation where the Dodgers wanted to give him a better chance to succeed elsewhere instead of sending him back down to High-A ball. He’s allowed 19 earned runs in 15 innings this year at AA.
AA Pitching Thriving
Dodgers pitching at Double-A Tulsa has been exceptional this year. The staff has a combined 2.68 ERA and the starting rotation alone has five pitchers with ERAs under 2. The combination of Landon Knack, Emmet Sheehan, Kyle Hurt, Nick Nastrini, Nick Frasso, and River Ryan (yes, it’s a six man rotation) has a 1.59 ERA (37 ER/209 IP) and could be part of the next wave of help for the Dodgers at the big league level.
Keep an eye on those names.
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