Los Angeles Dodgers: Five players that deserve more credit in 2018

Tony Cingrani – LHP

On July 31st, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded for Yu Darvish. That was the trade that made the headlines, but on July 31st, the Dodgers also acquired LHP Tony Cingrani from the Cincinnati Reds.

This trade was quiet, but Cingrani’s impact in 2018 could be anything but.

My initial reaction to this trade was probably similar to the rest of Dodger nation; We got another left-hander in our bullpen. This is good.

Well, that trade turned out to be not just good, but great. Did I see Tony Cingrani being a weapon for the Dodgers out of the pen down the stretch? No. Then again, I am often proven wrong, and more times than not, it’s a good thing.

In baseball, players have to continually defy expectations, and Tony Cingrani did.

In 2017, a year in which Cingrani spent the first half with the Reds, he held a 5.40 ERA over 23.1 innings. After putting on a Dodgers uniform, he boasted a 2.79 ERA.

In “The Cubs Way“, author Tom Verducci talks about how, every offseason, Cubs President of Baseball Operations, Theo Epstein, takes a Change of Scenery survey. What he does is ask his scouts to submit a list of list of players that they think would benefit from a change of scenery.

This has proved to be one of baseball’s most undervalued strategies. How do I know this? I know it, I believe in it, because in 2012, one name appeared on a lot of those scouts’ lists. On July 3, 2013, Epstein traded for that player. Now, that player is one of the best starting pitchers baseball has to offer; Jake Arrieta.

The Dodgers gave Tony Cingrani a change of scenery, and it worked. In 2018, he looks to be one of the best relievers in the LA bullpen. He’s the guy Roberts will call on to strike out one wildly talented batter.

He’ll be ready for it.