Dodgers Rumors: Will Smith and Several Giants’ Relievers on LA’s Radar

The rumor mill is starting to churn for the Dodgers and the latest rumor has LA interested in Will Smith and other Giants’ relievers.

With the All-Star game now over and the second half set to resume Friday, the Dodgers will now set their sights on the next biggest day, the July 31st trade deadline.  This season that is the only trade deadline with waivers trades not allowed anymore so any moves to beef up the Dodgers’ roster must be completed by the end of July.

The latest rumor has the Dodgers interested in Giants’ closer Will Smith.  San Francisco’s Will Smith is a perfect 23-23 in save opportunities this season and sports a stellar 1.98 ERA.  He has held the opposition to a minuscule .168 batting average.

While he would not be the closer in Los Angeles, he would become the bridge to Kenley Jansen and knock the other relievers down an inning deepening LA’s bullpen.  Joe Kelly and Pedro Baez could then become the 6th and 7th inning relievers when everyone is available to pitch and Smith could help lighten Jansen’s workload.

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Smith is a free agent after this season so he is one of the few elite relievers that is going to be available for sure.  While other teams are battling for playoff spots, the Giants are going to sell and Smith is going to be the best reliever on the market if relievers like Brad Hand and Felipe Vazquez aren’t available.

Morosi’s article also mentions the Dodgers having interest in three other relievers which are Sam Dyson, Reyes Moronta, and former Dodger Tony Watson.  While those three relievers are also having good seasons, they are not going to cost as much to acquire as Smith who is also a free agent to be.

Contract wise, Tony Watson has a 2.5 mil player option for next season and Sam Dyson has one more season of arbitration left.  Reyes Moronta has the most control left as he is not a free agent until after the 2023 season.  Moronta has one season of team control left followed by three years of arbitration.

The article also mentions that the Pirates will likely want one of the Dodgers’ young catchers plus at least one of Gavin Lux or Dustin May for Felipe Vazquez.  Working out a deal for a rental like Smith may be one of the cheaper options prospect wise.  While the Dodgers and Giants do not trade with each other often, Farhan Zaidi makes a deal more possible given his history with Andrew Friedman.