The Dodgers acquired RHP Chris Martin from the Cubs in exchange for UTIL Zach McKinstry.
The Dodgers got some bullpen help in the form of 36 year old Chris Martin. Martin is an interesting reliever, he posted a 4.31 ERA with the Cubs this season, but he had a fantastic 2.08 xFIP. Martin is a strike thrower, he walked only 4 throughout his 31.1 innings pitched with the Cubs this season. He is also above league average in K% despite not having a great chase rate, his Zone Contact% is a career best at 79.2%. His hard hit rate is in the bottom 7% of the league, but due to him not allowing walks and his good underlying numbers, Martin should provide some good mid-leverage innings for the Dodgers.
The Cubs got utility man Zach McKinstry in return for Martin. McKinstry has had a rough time throughout his big league career, he has accumulated a -0.7 WAR and a 67 wRC+ throughout his career. Although, throughout 48 games with the Dodgers at the AAA level this season, he has posted a .904 OPS and a 129 wRC+. While he doesn’t have great career defensive numbers (-2 DRS in OF & -2 DRS at 2B), he does have extreme versatility having played 2B, 3B, SS, LF, and RF in his major league career. McKinstry has shown offensive ability at the AAA level, it is just an issue of translating it to the big league level.
The Dodgers received a solid bullpen piece to throw some mid-leverage innings for them and hopefully help out the team looking to make a deep playoff push. The Cubs received a utility man that hasn’t had success at the big league level yet, but has shown promise at the AAA level. A good deal for both sides, as the 36 year old Martin doesn’t fit the Cubs timeline, and McKinstry has no spot to receive solid playing time in the current Dodgers lineup.