Matt Magill to Reds: Latest Trade Details, Scouting Report and Reaction

The Los Angeles Dodgers apparently thought their logjam in the outfield could use another piece of lumber. The Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds agreed on a trade that will send outfielder Chris Heisey to Los Angeles in exchange for pitching prospect Matt Magill, the teams announced Tuesday evening:

Heisey, 29, hit .222/.265/.378 with eight home runs and 22 RBI last season, appearing in 119 games as part of Cincinnati's outfield platoon. His deal came hours before the non-tender deadline, at which point he would have become an unrestricted free agent without being offered salary arbitration. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reported Heisey will likely earn more than $2 million next season.

Al Behrman/Associated Press

Adding an outfielder, even one considered little more than a backup, is a curious move for the Dodgers. They were already forced to platoon the expensive foursome of Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier and Yasiel Puig last season, consigning top prospect Joc Pederson to the minors.

The Dodgers have long-term plans for Pederson and Puig, so trading for Heisey has to be an indicator that one of the other trio will move on this winter.

As for the Reds, they get a potential major league arm in Magill for a player who likely would have been non-tendered. Magill boasts a career 0-2 record with a 6.51 ERA and 1.99 WHIP in 27.2 innings, all coming in six starts during the 2013 season. The righty spent his entire 2014 campaign with Triple-A Albuquerque, posting a 7-6 record with a 5.21 ERA and 1.64 WHIP.

Fangraphs' Mike Petriello noted that Magill was not listed on the site's Dodgers' depth chart:

A 31st-round draft choice in 2008, Magill has been brought up as a starter but may become a reliever in the long term. He made more relief appearances than starts for the first time in his career last season.

Though that experiment went less than brilliantly, Magill has good enough stuff he could make the transition. He flashed a four-pitch repertoire when with the Dodgers in 2013, throwing a four-seamer, cutter slider and change up.

Very few will confuse him with prime Nolan Ryan—his average fastball rested at 91 mph in those starts, per FanGraphs—but a pitching coach would be smart to have him continue working on the cutter.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Magill has been a good strikeout pitcher for most of his minor league career, compiling an 8.46 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate for his career. His slider is as close as he has to a plus pitch, and Reds general manager Walt Jocketty seems to envision him as a power pitcher. 

"We are excited to be adding a player with a power arm who has a chance to help our club next season," Jocketty said in a statement.

Odds are, this move won't amount to much for either team. Heisey is a platoon outfielder who is probably best served as an occasional option on a rest day. Magill doesn't have elite stuff and will in all likelihood top out as a replacement-level bullpen arm and occasional starter.

This is one of those moves where there's really no high upside or downside for either team.

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