Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is in the rearview mirror now. The race to October begins now. The Dodgers’ trade deadline was made up of your typical headlines:
“Dodgers in talks to trade for a great player!”
The front office and the player have been interchangeable in the previous years. Previously, the rumors ended with the Dodgers’ front office trading for big names like Yu Darvish, Manny Machado, and Max Scherzer.
The Dodgers have never been afraid to give up prospects to make a run for a World Series, but none of the previously mentioned trades led to a World Series parade.
Darvish’s career with the Dodgers will be remembered for his 2017 World Series game 7 debacle.
Machado’s Dodgers’ highlights will forever include the Red Sox’s last out before winning the World Series.
Meanwhile, Scherzer’s Dodgers reel will include a segment called “The Dead Arm Era.”
In fact, the only year where the Dodgers did not bring in a big name in the trade deadline led to a World Series win.
Players Joining The Dodgers
This season, the Dodgers’ front office elected to trade for pitchers and players that just need a change of scenery and some mechanical changes to improve their game.
Instead of trading for Justin Verlander, the Dodgers traded for Lance Lynn. His win record does not translate to his strikeout percentage.
Instead of sending a stack of their top prospects to Detroit for Eduardo Rodriguez, he elected to exercise his no-trade clause and stayed with the Tigers an hour before the deadline ended.
The front office scrambled and traded for Royals’ Ryan Yarbrough, a reliever converted to a starter—a loud “Who?” amplified around Dodgersland.
Instead of trading for a starting shortstop, the Dodgers elected to trade for Kike Hernandez and Amed Rosario. Both position players come with a negative outs-above-average.
Lynn & Yarbrough
The echo of spoiled Dodgersland immediately came to quiet when Lance Lynn made his Dodgers debut against the Oakland A’s.
During his start, Lynn pitched well. The Dodgers won the game 7-3.
His final stat line consisted of the following:
- 7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER (all came as home runs), 1 BB, and 7 K
Lynn became the first starting pitcher to pitch 7 innings since Kershaw back on June 20th.
During his start, Lynn relied on his 4-seam fastball and curveball more than any of his outings this season.
His workload also relieved the bullpen and allowed Roberts to only use Ferguson and Graterol out of the pen.
“I was in a pretty good spot there until the last inning,” Lynn said after the game, “But all in all, we won the game; that’s the No. 1 goal.”
During the win, Hernandez cleared the bases with a double to extend the lead. His return to Dodger Blue has reenergized his career.
On the other hand, Yarbrough closed out his July with a 2.19 ERA, 3 wins, and a loss to the Tigers, where he only gave up 3 runs and had no run support. His presence in the Dodgers’ starting rotation will alleviate one of the rookies into the pen or back to the minors.
The asking price for the top names at the deadline was high. The Astros sent the Mets their number one and four prospects for a pitcher the Astros didn’t resign in the offseason. They also included a chunk of his contract. The Dodgers’ front office elected to keep their prospects to help them maintain their lead in the west.
Let’s see if it pays off.
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