After weeks of speculation as to his eventual destination, Ricky Nolasco finally has a new home. The Los Angeles Dodgers have sent three prospects to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Nolasco and some international slot bonus money. The 30-year-old right-hander is 5-8 this year with a 3.85 ERA in 112 1/3 innings with the Marlins, and the Dodgers will assume the final $5.5 million dollars on his contract.
This has been Nolasco's best season since 2008, and for weeks he was seen as a major trade target for contending teams. After winning 11 of their last 14 games, the Dodgers have climbed back into the thick of things in a weak National League West, and didn't have to give up anyone that was a major part of their minor league organization in return.
The biggest name going east to Miami is 23-year-old Angel Sanchez, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who has split time between Low and High-A over the past two seasons. This year he has 82 strikeouts in 81 innings in 15 starts and has been considered a raw but talented arm. His ceiling ranges from a mid/back-end starter to a high-leverage reliever.
Also going to Miami are two relievers in Steve Ames and Josh Wall. Ames, 25, has averaged 11.5 K/9 in his minor league career, but this in his first taste of Triple-A baseball, he has seen his K/9 fall to 7.4. Wall, 26, has an 18.00 ERA in six appearances for the Dodgers this year and is currently sporting a 5.60 ERA at Triple-A Albuquerque. The slot money going to Los Angeles is what Major League Baseball has deemed the #96 bonus, worth $197,000.
Nolasco joins the Dodgers rotation that includes All-Star Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu to form a pretty good 1-4 group. He is also a Southern California native, and the Dodgers might look to bring him back after this season with injuries to Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly.
