Dodgers: Where are they now? Checking in on deadline targets
The Dodgers were linked to the three biggest names available out of the bullpen at the deadline, from 2019 All-Stars Felipe Vasquez and Shane Greene to last season’s saves leader Edwin Diaz.
If you’re reading this, odds are you already know that the Dodgers’ front office ultimately did not acquire any one of the big three relievers in this trio. Instead, they opted to go the route of an offensive platoon and utility depth with the additions of Kris Negron, Jedd Gyorko, and Tyler White, along with a lefty reliever in Adam Kolarek.
This deadline was clearly out of step with the past two deadlines, but so is this team. It did not need the Darvish-type arm or the Machado-type bat. The team needed depth at starting pitching and depth in the infield, so they did just that, they bolstered their strengths via the farm system and the above-mentioned small-time trades.
And at the time, I was frustrated that the Dodgers didn’t add Vazquez. I advocated dealing Keibert Ruiz, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and more to go out and get Vazquez. And while the ramifications of a deal of that magnitude cannot be determined until Vazquez’s contract expires in four years, at least to date May and Gonsolin have combined to help the Dodgers win quite a few ball games while on the bump.
Now, sitting here in the middle of August with a comfortable NL West lead in their back pocket, the Dodgers have been able to rely on relievers like Joe Kelly and Pedro Baez, who while they don’t exude stability, seem to be getting the job done at the moment.
But what about those deadline targets, those big-time names attached to big-time arms? What are they doing now? How have they performed since the deadline? While only one was ultimately dealt, seeing what could have been in such a limited sample size is still fairly interesting (at least to me, and hopefully to you also). So much of sports analysis is retrospective, though the modern world of data is changing that to some degree, nonetheless, retrospection is still interesting.
In this article, I decided to look at Shane Greene, Felipe Vazquez, and Edwin Diaz and how they have performed since the trade deadline passed them by, while also comparing their performances to similar statistical stretches that have emerged out of the Dodgers’ bullpen in the few weeks since the deadline came and went.
Shane Greene (dealt to Atlanta)
Braves’ record since the deal: 10-7 with 7 wins of 3-run lead or less
Greene’s WAR since the deal: -0.1
The Braves dealt for Greene presumably to make him their closer for the stretch run instead of Luke Jackson, the team’s closer through the first half of the season. And yet, Greene has not recorded a save as a Brave, despite finishing off 22 saves in 38 appearances as a Tiger.
In fact, Mark Melancon, another reliever acquired by the Braves at the deadline, has gone 3-3 in save opportunities since the trade.
Greene went 0-2 before handing the keys over to Melancon.
Since the Greene trade, the Braves bullpen has seen 9 save opportunities spread across six different pitchers. To contrast that with the Dodgers’, the LA bullpen’s 4 save chances have been split amongst three pitchers, with 2 of the chances going to Kenley Jansen.
Greene had a minuscule 1.18 ERA while with the Tigers this season, but had a 3.69 FIP, which tells us that Greene was due for a tad of regression, though certainly, no one could have predicted his 2 homers and 2 walks allowed with a .406 AVG against in 7.1 innings since the deal was struck back at the deadline.
Looks like in Greene, Andrew Friedman, and LA may have stayed true to their name and Dodged a bullet.
Felipe Vazquez (stayed put)
Pirates’ record since the deadline: 4-10
Vazquez’s K% since the deadline: 35.7%
In his 4.1 innings pitched in August, “Nightmare” has allowed just 2 hits and no runs with 5 punchouts under his belt, helping whittle his ERA down to a tiny 1.70.
Notably, he has continued to perform despite the stress that comes with your name being in almost every trade report.
But the best part? Vazquez answered questions about the talks going on between the Dodgers and his Pirates while pitching at the “Big A” in Anaheim just a few weeks after the deadline. Here’s what he told the LA Times:
“I’m sure some people will be upset,” said Felipe Vazquez, the lights-out left-hander the Dodgers were unable to pry from the Pittsburgh Pirates before the July 31 trade deadline. “They’ll be like, ‘I told you we should have gotten Felipe!’ ”
I for one would still have loved to have acquired Felipe, even if that meant watching Gavin Lux put on a uniform other than that of the Oklahoma City Dodgers, though I understand both that mine was neither the prevailing opinion or even a particularly important opinion in the minds of the wizards in the Dodgers’ front office, so I’ll let this one go quietly.
All I really wanted to point out was that Vazquez, despite the noise, has performed well and has remained amicable with his current club, which speaks to why the Dodgers wanted him so badly.
Edwin Diaz (stayed put)
Mets’ record since the deadline: 12-5
Diaz’s ERA since the deadline: 8.31
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Well, Diaz has just not had it this season, plain and simple, and despite the Mets going out and losing just once in their first 10 games after the trade deadline, he has not caught fire in recent times.
Instead, like Greene, Diaz is save-less in the few weeks since the deadline, going just 4.1 innings and allowing 2 home runs and walking 4.
While his name appeared later on in terms of the rumor mill connecting him to the Boys in Blue, his name did still appear, and it did make fans interested, though that may have been largely due to it being attached to Noah Syndergaard’s in many contexts.
I never vouched for adding Diaz myself *pats self on the back* but still, it would be hard to imagine Diaz needing much more than a change of scenery or a nice letter from a fan or even just a really good meal to turn his troubles around. His stuff is simply too dynamic to be yielding the mediocre results and pedestrian outings he has been providing the Mets in 2019.
If he is available over the Winter via trade, look for teams like the Dodgers to be all over Brodie Van Wagenen and the Mets.