Dodgers: Best trades of the Andrew Friedman era

Los Angeles Dodgers president, Andrew Friedman, has turned the franchise into perennial contenders and a model for player development. Some of his best moves have come via the trade route.

When Andrew Friedman joined the Dodgers from the Tampa Bay Rays, he was signed to a contract fitting for an All-Star player. His five-year, $35 million deal sending shock waves throughout the baseball community. The young executive had proven his ability to build a World Series roster using limited resources in Tampa. After years of mismanagement, both at the ownership and front office level, in Los Angeles, new CEO Stan Kasten was ready to make a bold hire.

The results since Friedman has joined the organization have proven his original contract was well worth it, and he was rewarded with an extension this past offseason.

The Dodgers have won five consecutive division titles since Friedman was placed atop the decision making hierarchy, and they have reached the World Series in two of the past three seasons.

While the Boys in Blue still haven’t won an elusive modern-day championship (ahem, Astros), they have become a model franchise in Major League Baseball, using their big market resources when necessary, while building a farm system that draws the envy of small market teams, alike.

Baseball America recently named the Dodgers the third best farm system in baseball. A recent cover story article describes how the franchise has become the prototype for developing young talent, after successes with Walker Buehler, Gavin Lux, Dustin May, Will Smith, and Tony Gonsolin, to name a few.

The fact that Friedman has been able to swing deals to help his team in the short-term without sacrificing the farm system in the long-run speaks to his shrewd talent evaluation and negotiation skills.

Let’s take a look at his best trades since joining the Dodgers.

Dodgers acquire Chase Utley for minor leaguers John Richy and Darnell Sweeney

Acquired after the non-waiver trade deadline in 2015, Andrew Friedman added soon-to-become fan favorite, Chase Utley, to the roster in exchange for two minor leaguers, John Richy and Darnell Sweeney. The Phillies also received $2 million in cash from the deal.

Utley had been struggling through injuries, his performance at the plate suffering, as he was batting .217/.284/.333 in Philadelphia before the trade. Upon arriving to the Dodgers, Utley provided a much-needed jumpstart to the lineup, filling a hole at second base for 25 games at the end the 2015 season. His aggressive style of play becoming contagious to his teammates.

Utley was initially suspended during the postseason of that year after sliding into New York Mets shortstop, Ruben Tejada, and fracturing his leg in trying to break up a double play. Utley appealed the suspension to remain active during the Dodgers five-game series loss to the Mets, and later won his appeal.

The Dodgers brought Utley back for the 2016 season, and only months removed from it seeming like his career could be coming to an end in Philadelphia, he became a mainstay in the Los Angeles lineup. Over 565 plate appearances in 2016, he improved his batting average to .252 and hit 14 home runs, while playing a solid second base. He followed up his 2016 campaign with another respectable season in 2017.

Neither of the prospects sent to the Phillies have proven to be major league players. Meanwhile, Utley became a key piece for the Dodgers continued dominance of the National League West.

Dodgers acquire Chris Taylor for Zach Lee

When the Dodgers traded former first round pick, Zach Lee, to the Seattle Mariners for Chris Taylor, it seemed like an insignificant move that marked the franchise’s lost hope in Lee more than their eagerness to acquire Taylor. The deal has turned into one of the most lopsided returns in Friedman’s tenure.

Having not hit a home run in 86 games for the Mariners, Taylor has hit 51 long balls over the past three plus seasons with the Dodgers. The right-handed utility-man has become an integral piece in the franchise’s recent success.

Meanwhile, Zach Lee, has never reached the potential that led the Dodgers to sign him to a $5.25 million signing bonus out of high school. The former two-sport athlete, who showed promise in Triple-A Oklahoma City for the Dodgers in 2015, fell off the map following the trade to Seattle. He went 0-9 with an embarrassing 7.39 ERA for their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma to close out the 2016 season.

Chris Taylor reached the apex of his Dodgers career (so far) in the 2017 postseason when he won the National League Championship Series MVP, along with Justin Turner, in the team’s five-game series win over the Chicago Cubs. Taylor hit .316 during that series with two home runs.

He has been instrumental in several postseason series for Los Angeles. He also hit .364/.462/.500 in the 2018 NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Taylor is currently slated to start the 2020 season on the Dodgers bench with the outfield now jam-packed with the addition of superstar Mookie Betts. However, Taylor’s versatility allows him to find plenty of at-bats at other positions, including the infield, where he could spell rookie Gavin Lux against left-handed pitchers.