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

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 23: Adrian Gonzalez #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers at bat during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium on May 23, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 23: Adrian Gonzalez #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers at bat during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium on May 23, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 27: Pitcher Rich Hill #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers follows through on his pitch in the fourth inning during Game Four of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

4. Dodgers go out and get Rich Hill and Josh Reddick at the deadline, August 2016

In the first of what will be three straight years of deadline deals that make this list, the Rich Hill trade with the Oakland Athletics was the first of the three. In this deal, the Dodgers acquired the blister-riddled lefty and right fielder Josh Reddick for pitching prospects Jharell Cotton, Grant Holmes, and Frankie Montas. While Cotton and Montas have had decent stretches with the As, neither have been able to stick with the major league club.

Hill on the other hand, after being extended by the Dodgers, has become a mainstay and fan-favorite in LA.  Besides his solid regular season numbers, Hill nearly gave the Dodgers a win in the 2018 World Series against the Red Sox, which I recounted two months ago when grading Hill’s 2018 season, in his gutsy six shutout inning performance in Game 4 at Dodger Stadium.

Immediately after being acquired by the Dodgers, Hill began to produce. Or at least once he came off the DL. Hill’s blister battle kept him off the field until August 24, when Hill got the win after spinning six shutout innings against the rival Giants. He went on to pitch three straight shutouts in his first three appearances with LA, including this gem against the Giants, helping lead the pitching staff into October.

Of course, the trade was not a complete success, as at first Reddick produced almost nothing for the Dodgers. In his first month with the club, the two-time AL Wilson Player of the Year hit just .161. But he turned it on in September, hitting .400 with a pair of homers and steals, and actually put up good postseason numbers, even though he was not highly thought of by Dodger fans by season’s end. Reddick hit .308 with 3 steals in the playoffs, but he had no extra-base hits, something that may have ingratiated him to Dodger fans.

While Reddick left LA the following season to win a ring with the Houston Astros, against the same Dodgers, Hill’s place as a Dodger stalwart in the rotation makes this deadline deal for a pair of rentals one of the most notable Dodger trades of the last half-decade.

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