The rich just got richer on Monday afternoon, as the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers acquired prized right handed pitcher Yu Darvish from the Texas Rangers for a couple of mid-level prospects.
With an MLB-best 74-31 record and a spot in the postseason all but a foregone conclusion, Darvish will give the Dodgers another much-needed arm to help take the load off of ace Clayton Kershaw, who is out of action for the next four to six weeks with lower back pain.
The addition of Darvish makes the Dodgers, a team already firing on all cylinders, the clear favorite to win their first World Series title since 1988.
Although Darvish owns a pedestrian 4.01 ERA and 6-9 record, he is one of the most prolific strikeout pitchers since joining the league in 2012 and has arguably the best breaking pitches of any right handed pitcher in the league.
The Dodgers sent infielder Willie Calhoun, pitcher A.J. Alexy, and infielder Brenden Davis to the Rangers in return for Darvish. All three players are talented prospects, but none of them are top players in the Los Angeles farm system.