CINCINNATI — The Dodgers added to their bullpen depth by acquiring righty reliever Brock Stewart from the Twins ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. PT Trade Deadline, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The clubs have not confirmed the deal, and the return is not yet known.
It’s a reunion for Stewart and the Dodgers, who selected the 33-year-old in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Stewart spent parts of his first four big league seasons with Los Angeles, posting a 5.46 ERA across 36 appearances (11 starts) from 2016-19.
But the version of Stewart that the Dodgers are getting now is much different than the one they had years ago. Stewart is in the middle of one of the better seasons of his career, recording a 2.38 ERA in 39 appearances. He’s struck out 41 batters against 11 walks in 34 innings.
In 2019, Stewart’s last year in the Dodgers’ organization, he was averaging 91.5 mph with his fastball. He’s now ticked up to 96.1 mph with the heater on average and has been especially tough on right-handers, holding them to a .327 OPS this season.
The Dodgers headed into the Trade Deadline in need of an arm who can get righties out, so Stewart — who comes with two additional seasons of club control — is a great fit in that regard. He should be part of the bridge to the ninth inning, although that continues to be a concern for L.A.
It was unlikely that the Dodgers would overpay for a legitimate closer type ahead of the Deadline, especially after seeing the prospect hauls that the A’s, Giants and Twins got in exchange for Mason Miller, Tyler Rogers and Jhoan Duran, respectively.
L.A. has several arms who should be capable of closing out games — among them Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Kirby Yates, Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol — but injuries and inconsistency have taken a toll on the back end of the bullpen. Scott, Kopech and Graterol are on the injured list, but all are expected back before the end of the season. Yates has not been reliable, and Treinen has not looked especially sharp in two appearances after missing more than three months with a forearm injury.
The Dodgers were also part of a three-team deal with the Reds and Rays on Wednesday night, sending catcher Hunter Feduccia to Tampa Bay and receiving depth catcher Ben Rortvedt, righty reliever Paul Gervase and lefty pitching prospect Adam Serwinowski in return.
