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By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Los Angeles Dodgers might have underwhelmed at the trade deadline, at least compared to the flurry of shocking moves from the division rival San Diego Padres, but they didn't stand pat.
The Dodgers agreed to bring in outfielder Alex Call and relievers Brock Stewart and Paul Gervase. But perhaps their most attention-grabbing move was in parting with a longstanding player, as they opted to send veteran starter Dustin May to the Boston Red Sox.
The decision to subtract from the pitching staff might be a surprising one given the epidemic of injuries the Dodgers have suffered so far this season. But the team expects Blake Snell to return to action on Saturday and had to clear some room in the rotation for him.
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Discussing the trade with reporters on Thursday, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes revealed that May told the team he still sees himself as a starter, suggesting he wouldn't welcome a relegation to the bullpen to make room for Snell.
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"We had a lot of really respectful conversations with D-May, and he's been a huge part of the organization for a long time," Gomes told reporters, according to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. "Through those conversations, it was apparent that starting was very important to him. And while we felt like he could have been a contributor out of the bullpen and an impact-type piece, trying to understand the mindset and his desire to continue to start, we took that into consideration."
May has demonstrated that he can be an effective starter, though he has struggled to remain healthy. He missed all of last season and hasn't made more than 10 starts in any campaign until this year. So far this year he has a 4.85 ERA across 18 starts.
The Red Sox do seem like a destination where he would get the chance to continue on as a starter, given their own pitching staff injuries. May seems likely to slot in somewhere toward the back end for Boston.
Hopefully for the former Dodgers veteran, that role is preferable to serving in his former team's bullpen.
More MLB: Braves' Alex Anthopoulos Attempts to Justify Perplexing Trade Deadline
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