Dodgers acquire reliever Carlos Marmol from Cubs

DENVER — The Dodgers temporarily fixed Brandon League last year after picking him up from the scrap heap. They hope to do the same this year with Carlos Marmol, the deposed closer they acquired Tuesday from the Chicago Cubs.

While there is no guarantee Marmol will ever recover the form that made him an All-Star in 2008, the Dodgers aren’t taking much of a gamble. The Dodgers sent the Cubs right-hander Matt Guerrier, who, like Marmol, was designated for assignment last week. With the Cubs covering a significant part of Marmol’s salary, the trade will add only about $500,000 to the Dodgers’ league-high payroll.

Even if Marmol can’t work his way out of a season-long funk during which his earned-run average ballooned to 5.86, the Dodgers figure to get something out of this trade.

In addition to Marmol and cash, the Dodgers received an international signing bonus slot.

Starting last year, Major League Baseball imposed limits on how much teams could spend to sign international amateur players. The Dodgers’ limit for the one-year cycle that started Tuesday was set at about $2.1 million. This deal will add $209,700 to that figure.

“We need to really restart and re-energize our international scouting,” General Manager Ned Colletti said.

Based on what they did with League last season, Colletti is hopeful they can also revive Marmol, who still throws in the 90-mph range.

League was no longer closing for the Seattle Mariners when he was acquired by the Dodgers last season. If anything, that reclamation project worked too well. With League posting a 2.30 ERA in 28 games, the Dodgers re-signed him to a three-year, $22.5-million deal. League has a 5.83 ERA this season.

The Dodgers believe they have identified correctable flaws in Marmol’s delivery, as they did with League’s last year.

“A lot of it is mechanical,” Colletti said.

Marmol had a 2.68 ERA as a setup man in 2008. His 2010 season was arguably his best, as he saved 34 games, posted a 2.55 ERA and averaged a then-record 16 strikeouts per nine innings. But Marmol has failed to duplicate that form over the last two-plus seasons.

Colletti didn’t know whether Marmol would immediately join the Dodgers or report first to their spring-training facility in Arizona to rebuild his arm strength. Manager Don Mattingly said he didn’t know how he would use Marmol.

“Hopefully, a change of scenery helps him,” Mattingly said.

Marmol, 30, will be paid $9.8 million this year. He will become a free agent at the end of the season.

Luis Cruz leaves Dodgers

Luis Cruz elected to become a free agent instead of accepting an assignment to triple-A Albuquerque with the Dodgers.

Cruz was an overnight sensation last season, when he hit .297 in 78 games for the Dodgers. The former career minor league player hit only .127 this season and lost his starting position at third base to Juan Uribe.

Cruz was designated for assignment last week and cleared waivers.

International prospects

On the first day of the international signing period, the Dodgers announced the signings of three players.

They signed two 16-year-olds from Venezuela, right-hander Alvaro Trillo and outfielder Daniel Padilla. They also added Sven Schuller, a 17-year-old right-hander from Germany.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com

Twitter: @dylanohernandez