The rare trade Dodgers fans should be upset with Andrew Friedman for

Los Angeles Dodgers fans? Upset with Andrew Friedman? Not manager Dave Roberts? Not closer Kenley Jansen? What’s going on here?

A trip down memory lane, is all! Friedman signed on to be the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations back in October of 2014 when he left the Tampa Bay Rays. Since then, he’s elevated the Dodgers from “contender” to MLB behemoth. Though they only have one World Series to show for it … so do the Houston Astros, who are considered to be the version of LA in the American League.

It’s hard to win championships, folks. It’s even harder to sustain powerhouse status for the better part of a decade. And for all the good Friedman’s done … he does have one blemish on his resumé, and it’s a particularly bad one.

You know how we just mentioned the Astros? Part of the reason they’ve been able to sustain their dominance in the AL is because Friedman and the Dodgers gifted them Yordan Alvarez back in 2016.

The Dodgers trading Yordan Alvarez to the Astros was a huge mistake.

Now, Josh Fields, the pitcher the Dodgers got in return, was by no means a wasted asset. From 2016-2018, the right-hander logged a 2.61 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 115 strikeouts in 117.1 innings (124 games). That’s a valuable bullpen arm.

But he technically blew Game 2 of the World Series against Houston when he surrendered two homers in the top of the 10th inning to put the Dodgers down two. They would tie the game in the bottom half, but those should’ve been the winning runs.

Right before the 2019 season, Fields was designated for assignment. he attempted to latch on with the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers after that, but has since not logged another inning at the MLB level.

As for Alvarez? He won AL Rookie of the Year in 2019 and then had his official breakout campaign in 2021 after injuries derailed the shortened 2020 season for him. So far in his brief career with Houston, the hefty slugger is slashing .290/.371/.577 with 152 runs scored, 61 homer runs and 186 RBI across 233 games. And he’s under club control for four more seasons.

The silver lining here, though? Alvarez has mostly been a DH, outside of his 51 games in left field. He’s not a particularly good outfielder, and it’s unclear how good he is at first base (the other position he’s played below MLB). Where would he have fit on the Dodgers over the last couple years?

You wouldn’t be wrong to question that. However, he should’ve fetched the franchise a more valuable asset than the 30-year-old Fields, who spent two and a half seasons with the team and failed when it mattered most.

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