Earlier than commerce rumors heated up and dream eventualities had been briefly envisioned, earlier than the Dodgers had been linked to a string of massive names who all wound up anyplace however Los Angeles, the staff’s entrance workplace foreshadowed what proved to be a moderately simple, unremarkable commerce deadline on Thursday afternoon.
“This group is really talented,” normal supervisor Brandon Gomes mentioned final week. “I would argue it’s better than the team that won the World Series last year.”
“It’s really about our internal guys, and the fact that these are veteran guys that have well-established watermarks,” echoed president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, amid a July stoop that fueled deadline hypothesis about what the staff would wish.
“I think the fact that we see the work they put in, how much they care, just makes it easier to bet on.”
On Thursday, sustaining religion of their present group is strictly what the Dodgers did.
The staff did handle its two foremost wants forward of MLB’s annual midseason commerce deadline. Within the bullpen, it reunited with right-handed veteran Brock Stewart in a commerce with the Minnesota Twins. Within the outfield, it added solid-hitting, defensively serviceable 30-year-old Alex Name in a cope with the Washington Nationals.
However in contrast with the flurry of blockbuster offers that reverberated round them within the Nationwide League — from a head-spinning seven-player purchasing spree by the San Diego Padres, to a bullpen arms race between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies — the Dodgers’ strikes had been delicate, tame and positively cost-conscientious.
They didn’t splurge for one of many a number of established closers that had been dealt for sky-high costs all through the league. They didn’t remake their lineup by touchdown somebody resembling Steven Kwan, or every other hitter with something near All-Star pedigree.
In reality, the Dodgers hardly gave up a lot in any respect, content material to spherical out the margins of their roster whereas parting with little in the best way of prospect capital.
Excessive-A pitchers Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Liñan (the Sixteenth- and Twentieth-ranked gamers of their farm system by MLB Pipeline) had been shipped to Washington. However in any other case, the one different departures had been 40-man roster gamers unlikely to issue a lot into the staff’s late-season plans: James Outman, who went to Minnesota in trade for Stewart; Dustin Could, who was dealt to the Boston Purple Sox for a prospect a number of months earlier than getting into free company; and minor league catcher Hunter Feduccia, who was a part of a three-team deal late Wednesday night time that netted the Dodgers two pitching prospects and a journeyman catcher.
The Dodgers’ James Outman (33) celebrates after hitting a three-run dwelling run throughout a sport in opposition to the Miami Marlins in Could.
(Marta Lavandier / Related Press)
In comparison with final yr — when the Dodgers added Jack Flaherty (their eventual Recreation 1 starter within the World Sequence), Tommy Edman (the eventual Nationwide League Championship Sequence MVP) and Michael Kopech (a key piece in a bullpen that carried the staff to a World Sequence title) — all of it felt moderately anticlimactic.
Which, because the Dodgers’ high two executives had famous the week earlier than, gave the impression to be completely wonderful by them.
In Stewart, the staff bought a lower-cost addition in what was an costly vendor’s reliever market.
The 33-year-old has solely two profession saves, and is unlikely to repair the Dodgers’ ninth-inning issues. However, he’s having a robust statistical season with 14 holds and a 2.38 ERA, 14th-best within the American League amongst relievers with 30 innings. He’ll give the Dodgers a stout choice in opposition to right-handed hitters, who’ve only a .104 common and .372 OPS in opposition to him. And he comes with familiarity within the group, nonetheless thought extremely of after beginning his profession with the Dodgers from 2016-2019 — again earlier than he reinvented himself with a fastball that now sits within the mid-to-upper 90 mph vary.
In Name, the Dodgers gave themselves extra versatility within the outfield.
The proper-handed hitter has appeared in simply 277 profession video games over 4 MLB seasons with the Nationals and Cleveland Guardians.
However the former third-round draft choose is having a pleasant 2025 season, highlighted by a .274 batting common, .756 OPS and first rate (if unspectacular) defensive grades in any respect three outfield positions.
Whereas Name’s position wasn’t instantly clear, he may issue right into a platoon with just lately resurgent left-handed hitting outfielder Michael Conforto. He additionally offers the Dodgers an alternative choice in heart area, particularly, which might permit Andy Pages to spend extra time in a extra naturally suited nook outfield spot.
For these Dodgers, the strikes checked off their two massive priorities: Including one other reliable right-handed reliever within the bullpen, and enhancing their defensive choices within the outfield.
What was lacking from the Dodgers’ deadline, nonetheless, was the form of massive splash so many different contenders reeled off this week. The Padres acquired Mason Miller, Ramon Laureano, and Ryan O’Hearn with out sacrificing any key big-league items. The Mets added Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley and Gregory Soto to their already stout bullpen, whereas the Phillies upgraded theirs with the addition of Jhoan Durán.
Already this yr, the remainder of the NL was maintaining tempo with what was billed as a seemingly invincible Dodgers staff. Out of the blue, the competitors seems that a lot stronger, not just for the membership to defend its World Sequence, however even to protect the slender three-game lead it holds over the Padres within the NL West.
The Dodgers, nonetheless, see inner enchancment as the important thing to the remainder of the season.
Already, their pitching employees is getting wholesome. Tyler Glasnow, Blake Treinen and (as of this coming Saturday) Blake Snell are all again from prolonged accidents. Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol, Tanner Scott and Roki Sasaki are additionally scheduled to return over the ultimate two months.
Offensively, the membership is assured that slumping stars Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Tesocar Hernández will get again on monitor, and that Max Muncy will present a jolt in his return from harm subsequent week. All that — coupled with the MVP-caliber play of Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith — they imagine ought to yield a lineup able to repeating a run to the World Sequence.
“It’s always tricky when you’re in the midst of a swoon in team performance, because in those moments you feel like we need everything,” Friedman acknowledged main into the deadline, with the staff enduring a 10-14 slide in July. “So for us, it’s about, all right, let’s look ahead to August, September. Let’s look at what our best-case scenario is. Let’s look at, if we have a few injuries here and there, what areas are we exposed? What areas do we feel like we have depth?”
Apparently, the Dodgers nonetheless favored what they already had, rolling the cube on their present group whereas different contenders stocked up throughout them.
