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3 trades Dodgers didn’t make that front office might regret

By Thomas Carannante |
BOSTON, MA - MAY 28: Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Boston Red Sox and Enrique Hernández #5 of the Boston Red Sox look on during the National Anthem before a game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 28, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 28: Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Boston Red Sox and Enrique Hernández #5 of the Boston Red Sox look on during the National Anthem before a game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 28, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are certifiably awesome, let’s get that straight. The best team in baseball is absolutely rolling right now and has extended their lead over the NL West and rest of MLB considerably with their domination out of the All-Star break.

Unlike the last few years, though, LA didn’t make a splash at this year’s MLB trade deadline. Did they have to? Absolutely not. The star power and depth on this roster is considerable and is clearly enough to handle the best of the best.

That said, a little extra help in a few key areas would’ve gone a long way in further separating the Dodgers from the pack. And now that Clayton Kershaw’s injured … yeah. It was only matter of time before another big-time obstacle threw things off course.

Even before Kershaw went down, though, the Dodgers’ rotation needed help. The bullpen got a reinforcement in Chris Martin, with some other injured Dodgers perhaps coming back within the next month or so to hopefully get things back to normal.

And though the lineup is absolutely rocking pitching across the league, the team could’ve used one more right-handed platoon bat who crushes left-handed pitching. We’re just still not sure about that Joey Gallo trade, either.

All we’re hoping is that the Dodgers don’t regret not pulling the trigger on a few trades that were very much attainable, had the team perhaps been a bit more aggressive.

3 trades the Dodgers didn’t make that the front office might regret

Brandon Drury #17 of the San Diego Padres (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
Brandon Drury #17 of the San Diego Padres (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

3. Brandon Drury/Robbie Grossman

Speaking of righty bats that destroy left-handed pitching, the Dodgers watched two immediate rivals in the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves swipe two of the best off the market.

The Padres, on top of acquiring Juan Soto, Josh Bell and Josh Hader, were also able to land Reds utility man Brandon Drury (that defensive versatility would’ve helped, too!). In his first at-bat as a Padre, he cranked a grand slam.

But aside from that, his numbers against left-handed pitching this year are out of this world. He’s slashing .300/.336/.650 with nine homers and 18 RBI in 100 at-bats across 49 games in which he’s encountered southpaws. Now he’s in the division, and the Dodgers’ two best starters at the moment are lefties.

Then there’s the Braves, who once again largely went bargain hunting at the deadline to prepare for the stretch run. Everyone will be looking over their shoulder anyway, though, after the low-key moves GM Alex Anthopoulos made last year that resulted in a World Series win.

Robbie Grossman is a Brave after Anthopoulos pulled off a trade with the Tigers. The veteran outfielder isn’t having a great year, but he’s on an expiring deal (so is Drury, by the way) and has even more success against lefty pitchers.

In 46 games (77 at-bats), Grossman is slashing .364/.479/.520 with one home run, 10 RBI and 17 (!) walks. This is what switch-hitter specializes in. Unreal. Gallo might be the bigger name, but Grossman might’ve been far more effective.

Neither cost much of anything, either. Where was Friedman here?

Frankie Montas #47 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
Frankie Montas #47 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) /

2. Frankie Montas

Like we said, even before Kershaw’s injury, the rotation needed top-end help. And when Friedman said it was possible Walker Buehler returns as a reliever, it really made fans wonder why another move wasn’t made here. Will Dustin May return as a starter, too? Is he built up enough after not pitching in an MLB game for 14 months now?

After the Seattle Mariners overpaid for Luis Castillo, Oakland A’s burly right-hander Frankie Montas was the next best option available (and under club control through 2023). In the end, the former Dodger went to the Yankees for four prospects (New York’s No. 5, No. 10, No. 17 and No. 21-ranked guys), which, truth be told, really wasn’t bad.

The Dodgers’ equivalent of that would have been:

  • P Ryan Pepiot
  • SS Wilman Diaz
  • P Gavin Stone
  • P Michael Grove

Would fans have been OK with that to bolster the rotation down the stretch and in the postseason (great Game 3 starter)? Not to mention, Montas being under contract through 2023 really helps LA, since the team is ready to see Kershaw, Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney hit free agency (in addition to Urías doing the same after 2023).

Maybe that package was too pricey for LA, but that would’ve been child’s play compared to the insane blockbusters Friedman has pulled off since taking over the Dodgers.

Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Boston Red Sox (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Boston Red Sox (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

1. Nathan Eovaldi

OK, say the Dodgers didn’t want to surrender that many assets for a cost-effective pitcher with an extra year of control. That’s understandable. But why not call the floundering Boston Red Sox and check in on the price for Nathan Eovaldi?

Maybe Friedman did and hung up on former pal Chaim Bloom, who was reportedly looking for a ridiculous return for slugger JD Martinez in talks with the Mets. It’s very possible this was not attainable.

Then again, the Sox are hell bent on saving money and rebuilding their farm system. With Eovaldi’s $17 million salary on the books for 2022, the Sox could’ve unloaded ~$7-8 million by dealing the right-hander, who seemingly would’ve been a perfect fit to help the Dodgers down the stretch and in October, where the man turns up his Game 7 levels once the calendar turns.

Plus, with Buehler/May potentially not returning as starters, the Dodgers don’t have any big-time right-handers able to start games. Tony Gonsolin is nice and all, but he’s not a power pitcher, and he’s not exactly a fearsome arm when a given game is on the line.

Even after getting rocked against the Houston Astros in last year’s ALCS, Eovaldi still owns a 3.14 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 41 strikeouts in 11 playoff games (six starts), totaling 43 innings. He was a monster during Boston’s 2018 World Series run, and the Dodgers experienced that firsthand.

Eovaldi in between Kershaw and Urías would’ve been a near-unstoppable change of pace. Instead, Kershaw’s now dealing with back issues, it’s unclear who’s going to fortify the rotation in the coming weeks, and there’s no way to make additions to the roster now that the waiver deadline has been axed. The Astros ruined that for everyone by acquiring Justin Verlander for nothing years ago, anyway. It’s over. But it could’ve been more impressive.

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