White Sox Acquire Pitchers Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure and Outfielder Trayce Thompson from Dodgers in Exchange for Pitchers Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox have acquired right-handed pitchers Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure and outfielder Trayce Thompson from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for right-handers Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn.
Nastrini, 23, is rated by MLB.com as the №9 prospect in the Dodgers organization. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Nastrini is 5–3 with a 4.03 ERA (33 ER/73.2 IP) and 85 strikeouts (10.4 per 9.0 IP) in 17 starts this season with Class AA Tulsa in the Texas League. He has struck out eight-plus batters four times in a game, all over his last eight starts.
Nastrini has gone 11–7 with a 3.83 ERA (87 ER/204.1 IP), 286 strikeouts (12.6 per 9.0 IP) and a .197 (148–750) opponents average in 51 starts over three minor-league seasons after being selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2021 First-Year Player draft out of UCLA.
Leasure, 24, has gone 2–2 with a 3.09 ERA (12 ER/35.0 IP), 56 strikeouts (14.4 per 9.0 IP), a .169 (21–124) opponents average and .617 OPS with nine saves in nine chances over 29 relief appearances with Tulsa this season. He has recorded a 2.33 ERA (7 ER/27.0 IP) with 43 strikeouts over his last 22 outings since May 1.
Leasure, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound native of Brandon, Fla., is 5–4 with a 3.46 ERA (40 ER/104.0 IP), 153 strikeouts (13.2 per 9.0 IP), .188 opponents average and 17 saves in 86 relief appearances over three minor-league seasons. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2021 draft out of the University of Tampa.
Thompson, 32, has been on the injured list since June 4 with a strained left oblique after hitting .155/.310/.366 (11–72) with five home runs, 14 RBI and 12 runs scored over 36 games with the Dodgers this season. He is eligible to be reinstated on August 3.
Thompson is a career .216/.304/.428 (184–853) hitter with 44 homers, 123 RBI and 123 runs scored in 333 games over parts of eight major-league seasons with the White Sox (2015, ‘18), Dodgers (2016–17, ’22–23), Oakland (2018), Chicago Cubs (2021) and San Diego (2022). He originally was selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.
Kelly, 35, is 1–5 with a 4.97 ERA (16 ER/29.0 IP), 41 strikeouts, one save and 11 holds over 31 relief appearances in 2023, his second season with the White Sox. He was signed by the Sox as a free agent on March 13, 2022.
Lynn, 36, has gone 6–9 with a 6.47 ERA (86 ER/119.2 IP) and 144 strikeouts over 21 starts this season, his third with the White Sox. He was acquired by the Sox from Texas on December 8, 2020 in return for right-hander Dane Dunning and lefty Avery Weems, and was an American League All-Star in 2021.
White Sox Acquire Pitchers Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure and Outfielder Trayce Thompson from… was originally published in Inside the White Sox on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.