Dodgers send deadline pickup Mat Latos packing after just five starts
Just weeks after being acquired in a blockbuster deadline-day trade, Los Angeles Dodgers starter Mat Latos has been designated for assignment. Don’t expect to see him a Dodgers uniform again this season.
Latos’ stint with the Dodgers was short and forgettable. He was acquired on July 30 as part of a three-team, 13-player trade between the Dodgers, Marlins, and Braves. He made five starts and one relief appearance piling up a 0-3 record with a 6.66 ERA, and a .323 opponent batting average. The Dodgers were 2-4 in his six appearances.
Latos now finds his career at a crossroads. He is eligible for free agency this offseason after signing a one-year, $9.4 million deal with the Marlins last year. The Dodgers are on the hook for what’s left of his salary in 2015. Latos will hit the free-agent market again this year after pitching just 215 innings over the last two seasons and with a 4.14 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.
But there is still upside. Despite his turbulent 2015 he still has a 1.6 fWAR and is only 27. He had a breakout season for the Padres in 2010, finishing with a 2.92 ERA and 4.3 fWAR, and for the most part took that success with him to Cincinnati when he was traded in 2011.
The Dodgers appear poised to capture their third consecutive NL West division crown, and come playoff time will be more than set with a rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Brett Anderson, and Alex Wood.
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Ian Denomme is an editor and writer for Yahoo Sports. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.
