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.