Dec 21, 2018 4 min read

The Los Angeles Dodgers shook up their National League-championship roster Friday, trading Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and left-hander Alex Wood and cash to the Cincinnati Reds for right-hander Homer Bailey, who threw a pair of no-hitters before three major arm operations sidetracked his career.

The Dodgers also get minor leaguers Jeter Downs and right-hander Josiah Gray.

The deal gives Los Angeles a couple of prospects and a couple of slots to fill. For the Reds, it’s another move toward becoming competitive after four straight 90-loss seasons.

“We still have (financial) resources to make this team better – we’re not done yet,” said Dick Williams, the Reds’ president of baseball operations. “We did trade some good prospects here, but we acquired four major league players that address needs for us and I think we’re better in the short-term.”

Last week, the Reds traded pitching prospect Tanner Rainey to the Nationals for 32-year-old starter Tanner Roark, who led the National League in losses last season while going 9-15 with a 4.34 ERA.

Cincinnati didn’t know what to do with Bailey, who went 1-14 last season with a 6.09 ERA and resisted a move to the bullpen. He has one year left on his contract and is owed $28 million.

Wood gives the Reds another upgrade to their young rotation, which has been their biggest weakness the last two seasons. He was an All-Star for the Dodgers in 2017, going 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA. He was 9-7 last season with a 3.68 ERA in 27 starts and six relief appearances.

“We think he’s a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy who’s going to fit in really well,” Williams said.

The Reds’ outfield was in flux when they chose not to tender a contact to Billy Hamilton, making him a free agent. Puig is expected to play right field. He’s in the final year of a seven-year, $42 million deal.

Kemp, 34, batted .290 with 25 doubles, 21 homers and 85 RBIs last season, when he was an All-Star for the third time.

Cardinals sign reliever Miller: When healthy, Andrew Miller has been one of baseball’s top relievers. The St. Louis Cardinals are banking on a return to form.

Miller agreed to terms on a two-year deal with St. Louis, with a vesting option for 2021. The 6-7 left-hander has been dominant for much of this decade, but he went just 2-4 with a 4.24 ERA in 37 games with Cleveland last season while dealing with hamstring, knee and shoulder issues.

The Indians acquired Miller in a trade during the 2016 season, and manager Terry Francona used him as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen. He was the MVP of the AL Championship Series that year, and Cleveland made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series before losing to the Chicago Cubs. Miller appeared in 10 games that postseason, going 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA, 30 strikeouts and five walks.

Rangers deal Profar to A’s: Texas traded infielder Jurickson Profar to the Oakland Athletics in a three-team deal that included Tampa Bay and netted the Rangers four prospects.

Oakland also reached an agreement on a $15 million, two-year contract with free agent right-hander Joakim Soria, giving the A’s a reliable and versatile reliever.

The 34-year-old Soria, a two-time All-Star, went 3-4 with a 3.12 ERA in 66 appearances and 60 2/3 innings this year for the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers.

Profar, who at 19 in 2012 homered in his first big league at-bat before shoulder issues forced him to miss two full seasons, hit .254 with 20 homers and 77 RBIs in 146 games while playing all four infield positions for Texas this year.

In Oakland, he will take over at second base for departing free agent Jed Lowrie. Profar had been expected to become the starting third baseman for the Rangers after Adrian Beltre retired last month.

The Rangers acquired right-hander Yoel Espinal and left-handers Kyle Bird and Brock Burke from Tampa Bay, and infielder Eli White from Oakland. Texas also got $750,000 international slot compensation from the A’s.