Dodgers Make a Splash and Come Out as Victors at the Deadline

Well, talk about dramatic. What looked like an uneventful trade deadline for the Los Angeles Dodgers turned into a pretty exciting one.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were probably the best team in baseball before the trade deadline, but now leave it as the class of Major League Baseball. They were linked to elite arms such as Yu Darvish, Sonny Gray, Zach Britton and some lesser ones such as Justin Verlander and Addison Reed for weeks.

Gray was traded to the Yankees, Reed to the Red Sox and Britton and Verlander stayed put. Darvish? Well, he’s going to be wearing blue for the rest of the season.

But before we get to him, the front office did make two other moves to reinforce the bullpen. The first was a move for Pirates left-handed reliever Tony Watson. He has had a down year in 2017 in comparison to his previous years. Since 2012 he’s had ERAs of (chronologically) 3.38, 2.39, 1.63, 1.91, 3.06, and 3.66 ERA this year.

Cingrani was having a smooth transition to the bullpen at the beginning of July. However, since then, his ERA has jumped up from 2.35 to 5.40. He’s hit a rough patch recently but has shown the ability to get the job done in the past and is more of an upside get anyways.

They aren’t the elite left-handed reliever that a Brad Hand or Zach Britton are, not even close. But, they are serviceable and great buy-low candidates. Both throw pretty hard (but Watson’s K/9 is way too low), and power arms are key in the postseason.

If any team can fix pitchers and help them rediscover their old form, it’s these Dodgers. Plus, with Kenley Jansen, Pedro Baez and Brandon Morrow on the team, the duo won’t be put into many high-leverage situations. But, they will serve as upgrades over Luis Avilan and the oft-injured Grant Dayton. And remember, no one thought the Chris Taylor or Josh Fields trades were anything at the time. But look how they turned out. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to never doubt this front office’s smaller moves.

Now the big fish, Yu Darvish. This is the one we have all been waiting for. The biggest non-waiver deadline deal for the Dodgers since Manny Ramirez in 2008. It was a deadline buzzer beater and as dramatic a move as they come. We all thought LA went another trade deadline without making a big move, but then the shocking reports came out after the deadline had passed.

LA was already on top of baseball and needed a big move just to put them over the top. And the best way was an impact arm like an elite starting pitcher. It became even more important when Clayton Kershaw went down with an injury.

As Cesar Becerra pointed out, it’s an absolute steal of a deal. Darvish, when healthy, is one of the ten best starters in baseball. He is a legitimate top-tier arm and was the best pitcher available (sorry Sonny Gray). He has the best stuff in the league bar Chris Sale, Clayton Kershaw, and Max Scherzer.

Power arms play up in October because the ability to miss bats increases in value. Hitters want to put the ball in play to put pressure on the defense while pitchers want to limit that. Darvish’s ability to draw swings-and-misses will lower the chances of fluky hits, such as a bloop singles, etc., and errors from happening.

Los Angeles has been missing that second ace since Zack Greinke’s departure. Darvish gives them that and is the perfect Robin to Clayton Kershaw’s Batman. Los Angeles might have the best duo fronting a rotation again and being a right-hander, Darvish helps balance out a lefty-heavy rotation and slots in beautifully between Kershaw and Alex Wood.

The Dodgers can now roll out a rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish, Alex Wood and Rich Hill in the playoffs, which means that Kershaw will not have to pitch on short rest in the playoffs anymore. This will give Kershaw more rest, which is even more important now with his back problems.

With two elite starters for Games 1 and 2 and strong starters for Game 3 and 4, the Dodgers have a good chance of winning each game.

An elite starting pitcher and two solid left-handers relievers with upside, just for the cost of a single good prospect (Willie Calhoun) and some lesser ones? All while keeping hold of the organization’s top three prospects in Walker Buehler, Alex Verdugo, and Yadier Alvarez? Have to tip your hat to Andrew Friedman and his front office.

Next: Must Hold Onto Pitching Prospects

They finally took advantage of their prospect depth and for the betterment of the team. The front office did their part. Now the pressure is all on the players again. If it wasn’t clear before, it is now. World Series or bust.