The Great Lakes Loons' roster is decimated as Dodgers make MLB trade deadline moves to bolster pitching

In the biggest trade of the day, at the very last minute of Monday's 4 pm MLB trade deadline, the Great Lakes Loons' roster took another blow, losing 1-starting pitcher and 2-former position players when the Los Angeles Dodgers traded 3 of its top 30 minor league prospects for right-handed starter Yu Darvish from the Texas Rangers.

 

The Darvish trade came after the Loons had already lost its top closer and a top international free agent infielder, as the Dodgers looked to build some bull pen stability for a post-season run with the earlier acquisition of left-handed reliever Tony Watson from the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon.

 

Looking for another big name starter, the Dodgers struck a last-minute deal with the Rangers to acquire Darvish for 3 highly touted prospects, including: former Loons second baseman Willie Calhoun (currently the Dodgers No. 4 prospect) who has been playing for the Oklahoma City Dodgers' triple-A club; and right-handed pitcher A.J. Alexy (the Dodgers No. 17 prospect) who has been one of the top starters for the Loons this year; along with recently promoted Loons shortstop Brendon Davis (the Dodgers No. 27 prospect) who was moved up to the advanced-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes just 9 days ago,  

 

Calhoun, who played for the Loons during the 2015 season, is hitting .298 with 23-home runs in 99-games for Oklahoma City this year.

 

Davis, who caught the final out for the 2016 MWL champion Loons, came back to start this season with Great Lakes and was a 2017 MWL all star selection for the mid-summer classic at Dow Diamond prior to his promotion. 

 

Alexy had a 3.67 ERA and averaged just 1.13 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP) in 19 starts for the Loons this year.

 

Earlier in the day, the Dodgers traded Loons infielder Oneil Cruz and flame-throwing RHP, closer Angel German to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for proven LHP, reliever Tony Watson. 

 

Cruz, a 6-foot-6 shortstop from Nizao, Dominican Republic who was signed by the Dodgers as a 16 year old international free agent for $950,000 dollars in 2015 was hitting .240 with 8-home runs in 89-games for the Loons this year.

 

German, a 6-foot-4 right-handed closer from Bani, Dominican Republic who routinely hits 101-103 MPH on the radar gun, had 7-saves in 8-save opportunities with a 1.91 ERA, while allowing just 1.09 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP) through 21-games for the Loons this year. 

 

The Dodgers also traded outfielder (former Loon) Scott Van Slyke and a likely future Loons catcher, Hendrik Clementina (an international free agent from Willemstad, Curacao who was playing for the rookie league Ogden Raptors) in exchange for Cincinnati Reds left-handed reliever Tony Cingrani.