Dodgers strike gold with former Yankees pitcher and own division rival in the process

Los Angeles Dodgers v San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers v San Diego Padres | Sean M. Haffey/GettyImages

The Dodgers are known for having a high success rate with picking up pitchers that seem long past their expiration date and turning them back into functioning contributors. It hasn't worked out so well for them this year — Chris Stratton, José Ureña and JP Feyereisen didn't pan out — but Lou Trivino is turning into another success story the Dodgers can hang their hat on. And LA can thank the Yankees and Giants for him.

He was DFA'd by the division-rival Giants on May 5 and outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers, but he refused the assignment and became a free agent. It took just two days for the Dodgers to swipe him up on a minor league deal, and he was in the majors a week later.

Trivino has survived on the Dodgers' roster for almost a month, which is no easy task for LA's relievers these days, and has pitched 12 1/3 innings for a 1.46 ERA. He pitched the exact same number of innings for the Giants before he was released with a 5.84 ERA.

He hasn't looked this good on the mound since he was a Yankee in 2022. After the trade deadline that year, he pitched 21 2/3 innings for a 1.66 ERA along with 3 2/3 scoreless innings in the postseason.

Former Yankees reliever Lou Trivino has turned back into a reliable bullpen piece with Dodgers

The Yankees gave Trivino $4.1 million to avoid arbitration in 2023, but he went down with an elbow strain in spring training and didn't appear in the majors before the club announced he would need to undergo Tommy John. They non-tendered him at the end of the season, only to sign him to another one-year deal with a club option for 2025, but his 4.91 ERA in the minors (7.50 in Triple-A) kept him from getting back to the majors, and the Yankees declined their option at the end of the season.

It's understandable that the Yankees let Trivino go, but now the Dodgers are capitalizing. And it's even funnier he just landed with the Giants, but they couldn't fix him. Countless relievers have been shuffled on and off the roster as part of the bullpen carousel since Trivino was called up on May 18, but he managed to survive even when both Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates came off of the IL.

Of course, when it's Luis García, Blake Treinen, or Brusdar Graterol's turn to come back, Trivino could be an easy cut. But for now, he's doing outstanding work for the Dodgers when they need it most.