The 74-31 Dodgers have been humming along at a nearly unprecedented clip for a while, but that doesn't guarantee playoff success, and one of the spots they needed to upgrade was a late-inning, left-handed reliever. Enter former Pirates closer Tony Watson, as multiple reports indicate the Dodgers have swung a deal for the lefty. The Pirates' return is two still-unknown minor leaguers, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Just a few minutes later, news broke -- via Ken Rosenthal -- that the Dodgers also acquired lefty reliever Tony Cingrani from the Reds.
Watson, 32, is a rental as he'll hit free agency after this season. He started the season as the Pirates' closer, but faltered early and lost the job. He has a 3.66 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. Lefties have actually hit .308/.357/.354 this season against, though at least it's good that he's suppressed their power.
Still, Watson has the track record. He was one of the better relievers in the league from 2013-15 and he had a quality season in 2016.
Cingrani, 28, has a 5.40 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 24 strikeouts against four walks in 23 1/3 innings this year. He's held lefties to a .219/.305/.407 line in his career.
The Dodgers were also rumored to be in on Justin Wilson (who went to the Cubs) and Zach Britton (who appears to be staying with the Orioles) and several reports indicated the Dodgers grabbed Watson as a "fallback" option. Then Cingrani followed as the Dodgers were surely looking to cover as many bases as possible here.
