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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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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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