5 trades the Dodgers regret making under Andrew Friedman

Tony Watson for Oneil Cruz

If the Dodgers had traded any prospects to Pittsburgh who ended up having a solid big league year or two, this trade probably wouldn't be on here. But as all true Dodger fans know, this was one of two times where the Dodgers were a little too quick to part with a prospect in exchange for a rental reliever for a postseason run. Of course, the prospect I'm talking about is Oneil Cruz. He was in the Dodgers' system back in 2017, but LA needed immediate help in the bullpen as they were making a serious push to contend for the World Series.

So, the Dodgers dealt Cruz and another prospect for lefty reliever Tony Watson, who actually was a great pickup at the time, posting a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings, with a 2.25 ERA in 12 postseason innings. He was exactly what the Dodgers were looking for in the bullpen, and even was credited with two wins during the 2017 World Series.

But unfortunately, we now know the Dodgers lost that 2017 World Series to the Astros in seven games, and one half-season of Watson just to get a World Series berth doesn't feel worth what it once did, considering LA's recent run of dominance (two other WS appearances and one title) as well as Cruz's rapid ascent as a prospect.

The massive, slugging shortstop became Pittsburgh's top overall prospect (#22 in MLB) before being called up in 2022. Cruz finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, despite only playing in 87 games, and this season was off to a decent start before getting injured. Cruz is likely destined for MLB stardom, and the Dodgers would sure love to have a guy like him right about now given the weakness at shortstop.