The Dodgers’ Six Biggest Trade Acquisitions of the Last Six Years

1. Hanley Ramirez joins the Blue Crew, July 2012

This trade technically occurred seven seasons ago, but it was important for what would happen in 2013, when the Dodgers began their playoff dominance. In one of the biggest Dodger trades since the deal for Manny Ramirez back in 2008,  the team acquired third basemen/shortstop Hanley Ramirez and lefty reliever Randy Choate in exchange for Nate Eovaldi and minor league pitcher Scott McGough.

The trade came at a time when the Dodgers needed some ‘oomph’ to add to their lineup, and Hanley came at a discount due both to the Marlins’ floundering in the standings and his personality flaws. The Dodgers didn’t seem to have the same problems with Ramirez.

In his first game with the Dodgers, Ramirez immediately demonstrated his prowess at the plate, as reported by ESPN:

"Ramirez made his Dodgers’ debut in St. Louis on Wednesday night. Wearing No. 13, he was at third base and batted fifth. Ramirez finished 2 for 4, including a triple, and an RBI in the Dodgers’ 3-2 loss to St. Louis in 12 innings."

In his two and a half seasons with the Dodgers, Ramirez had a tough time staying on the field, only playing in 278 games with the Dodgers from 2012 to 2014. While he was healthy though, Ramirez really did provide value, not only in making the Dodger’s lineup feel more formidable but also in helping young players like Yasiel Puig acclimate to playing on the big stage:

Hanley finished his time in LA with 43 home runs, and 31 steals, but his legend is better recounted when told in terms of his playoff marks, and his single-season dominance in 2013.

The former-Rookie of the Year never got a playoff at-bat in Miami, but this would change right away once he reached the Dodgers. In his two NLDS series with the Dodgers in 2013 and 2014, the slugger hit a whopping .467 with 24 total bases, two steals, and more walks than strikeouts.

In 2013, Hanley was by far the best hitter on the Dodgers. His .345 batting average with 20 home runs in just 86 games helped propel the Dodgers into the playoffs, even though he played just over half of his team’s games, finishing eighth in NL MVP voting.

While Hanley was a key factor in helping the Dodgers regain their prominence in the NL West, the next few trades are what set up the Dodgers to maintain a historic stretch of dominance.