Cubs Trade RHP Chris Martin to Dodgers for Utility Man Zach McKinstry

Martin, 36, has made 34 appearances this season with a 4.31 ERA, a 3.02 FIP, and a career-best 11.5 SO/9. With Martin, the Dodgers are getting a reliever who has been better than those numbers as of late and posts a 30.1% K rate against a 3% BB rate. He is making $2.5 million this season. Martin is a veteran bullpen arm with postseason experience, which every contending team is trying to acquire.

Zach McKinstry Joins The Cubs

Utility man Zach McKinstry will join the Chicago Cubs as a result of this trade. The 27-year-old is under team control until 2028 and has already seen time in the majors. This season, McKinstry’s numbers look pretty poor: .091 BA, .286 OBP, .364 SLG. However, he only has 14 plate appearances on the year. Last year, McKinstry saw 172 plate appearances and posted a .215/.263/.405 slash line.

McKinstry spent some time on the injured list due to a neck issue after being promoted back in June. He has been mashing in Triple-A (.335/.417/.487) as he has gone up and down this year. All things considered, this is a solid return for Chris Martin and it shows just how expensive the reliever market is setting up to be. This could be fun.