The Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays reportedly agreed to a trade that will send coveted starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow to Los Angeles — as long as the star right-hander agrees to a contract extension with the Dodgers.
As part of the reported deal, the Rays will send outfielder Manuel Margot and roughly $4 million in cash considerations to L.A., while the Dodgers will send pitcher Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca to Tampa Bay.
ESPN first reported the trade, and that Glasnow’s extension with the Dodgers is seen as likely to be completed.
Pepiot has been informed that the deal is in place, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was unauthorized to speak publicly, and that the transaction could be finalized as soon as Friday.
The move comes at the end of almost two weeks of negotiations between the Dodgers and Rays — like-minded front offices that were seen around the industry as likely trade partners for any deal involving Glasnow.
A 30-year-old right-hander who made a strong return from Tommy John surgery last year, Glasnow is a Southland native and former Hart High standout who, at times in his eight-year career, has been seen as one of the most talented pitchers in the game.
He has a naturally cutting four-seam fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper-90-mph range. His put-away pitch is an overhand curveball that held opponents to an .095 average (10 for 105) last season. And when combined with a 90-mph slider, his dominant arsenal helped him rank in the 97th percentile of all pitchers last year with a 33.4% strikeout rate and the 95th percentile with a 35.2% whiff rate.
Glasnow has battled injuries throughout his career, culminating with his Tommy John surgery in 2021.
He is the kind of frontline weapon, however, that the Dodgers rotation has been too often lacking the last couple of years. And last season, he set career highs for starts (21) and innings (120) while going 10-7 with a 3.53 earned-run average.
While losing Pepiot, a former top pitching prospect who still had five years of club control left, could be seen as a steep price, locking up Glasnow will give the Dodgers the kind of impact pitching acquisition they were seeking to pair with their record-breaking signing of Ohtani.
This is a developing story and will be updated.