Logan Forsythe to Dodgers: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced they acquired second baseman Logan Forsythe from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

The Dodgers will send right-handed pitcher Jose De Leon to Tampa Bay.

Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan noted Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has a connection with Forsythe:

The acquisition addresses a major need in the Dodgers lineup. Forsythe is a big upgrade over Enrique Hernandez, who was penciled in as Los Angeles' starting second baseman.

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported the Dodgers had been working with the Minnesota Twins on a potential Brian Dozier trade. Sources told Rosenthal the Twins had questions about whether De Leon was enough of a return to complete the deal, however.

Forsythe doesn't have Dozier's power, but he is a solid hitter. He had a .264/.333/.444 slash line in 2016 to go along with 20 home runs and 52 RBI. He also finished second on the Rays with 46 walks.

Passan is a fan of the deal for Tampa Bay:

According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Forsythe is under contract for the next two years. He'll earn $5.75 million in 2017 and has a $8.5 million club option for 2018 that includes a $1 million buyout.

In November, the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin wrote that the Dodgers couldn't continue their free-spending ways, so Forsythe provides them with some much-needed financial flexibility.

Giving up De Leon isn't a steep price to pay for Los Angeles, either. The Dodgers are flush with young starting pitchers. Twenty-year-old Julio Urias made his MLB debut last year, while Yadier Alvarez (20), Walker Buehler (22) and Jordan Sheffield (21) are showing promise in the minors.

De Leon made four starts for the Dodgers in 2016, going 2-0 with a 6.35 ERA. He spent the bulk of the campaign with the Oklahoma City Dodgers in the Pacific Coast League, where he went 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts and averaged 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

MLB.com ranks De Leon as the 33rd-best prospect in baseball and gives him an overall grade of 55 on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale.

The Rays don't look to be playoff contenders in 2017, so it makes sense to flip Forsythe for De Leon, who could be a No. 3 or 4 starter for many years to come. In addition, he gives the Rays more starting pitching depth in the event they trade their ace, Chris Archer.