Biggest takeaways from the Dodgers’ trade deadline moves

3. The Joey Gallo trade is a genius flier by the Dodgers

Having Joey Gallo be the biggest move the Dodgers made is a bit disappointing, I get that. However, don’t let that change the fact that the move itself is a smart one for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Any Yankees fans reading this are laughing at my optimism (hi, Adam and Thomas!), but in the grand scheme of things, this could be yet another savvy Andrew Friedman move. It is a flier for a left-handed power-hitting bat, and if it does not pan out, the Dodgers will be just fine.

Sent in the trade for Gallo was 2020 second-round pick, and LA’s No. 15 prospect on MLB Pipeline, Clayton Beeter. While Beeter did rank in the Dodgers’ top 30, he really is not that valuable of a prospect to LA. He has struggled at the minor-league level and lacks both the command and pitch repertoire to be a solid starting pitcher.

Beeter could blossom into a solid bullpen or long relief guy at the big-league level if he can work on his command. With all of the pitchers in the Dodgers’ farm, it makes a lot of sense to trade a guy who Friedman likely never envisioned to make the starting rotation for Gallo.

Gallo has been Cody Bellinger levels of bad, but if he can figure it out and return to his Texas Rangers self in LA (with a beard), then the Dodgers will suddenly have the power-hitting left-handed bat to put in the middle of the order that Max Muncy and Bellinger were meant to be.

The Dodgers have to figure that one of the three will figure it out and be able to slot into that five spot against right-handed pitching. And if it is not Gallo, then the Dodgers won’t miss Beeter, I can promise you that.

It is much better to have Joey Gallo be that power-hitting option than Jake Lamb, which brings us to the next takeaway.