Jon Heyman reports that the Dodgers have acquired Pirates reliever Tony Watson. In exchange, the Pirates will get minor league infielder Oneil Cruz and minor league righty Angel German.
Watson has been one of baseball’s most reliable relievers over the past several years, averaging 72 appearances and posting a 158 ERA+ over the past five seasons. This season he has taken a bit of a step back, and has struggled in the closer’s role. He currently owns a 5-3 record with a 3.66 ERA and a 35/14 K/BB ratio in 46.2 innings. He has ten saves for the Pirates but has blown seven. With Kenley Jansen in Los Angeles, however, Watson will obviously not be closing.
Watson was viewed as a fallback option for the Dodgers, who were first rumored to be interested in Yu Darvish and, if he could not be acquired, were looking at relief help, with Zach Britton at the top of the radar. Britton too was ultimately unobtainable, so Watson it is.
