Grading every Dodgers trade from the 2023 deadline

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After an up-and-down first 100 games, many Los Angeles Dodgers fans expected the team to be busy during the 2023 MLB trade deadline. And while the team made three separate moves, there's still a lingering feeling among the fanbase that more could have been done.

Granted, it's not all the Dodgers' fault that more moves weren't made. It isn't the team's fault that Eduardo Rodriguez invoked his no-trade clause to block a trade to LA, or that the Houston Astros made a significant overpay to reunite with Justin Verlander.

At the end of the day, the lack of any big moves was extremely disappointing for fans. So let's grade the ones that were actually made.

Multiple Dodgers "cash considerations" trades: F

While the highlight of the trade deadline is the big-league talent that the Dodgers acquired, the team actually made several trades for cash considerations. The players traded away (and the teams they are heading to) are as followed:

Eddys Leonard (Detroit Tigers)
Phil Bickford (New York Mets)
Adam Kolarek (New York Mets)
Justin Bruihl (Colorado Rockies)
Andre Jackson (Pittsburgh Pirates)

In the grand scheme of things, most of these moves are inconsequential and these players would have been let go anyway. In the Dodgers' eyes, it's absolutely better to get cash for a player instead of letting them walk for nothing. That part is true.

That being said, there's nothing but downside here for the Dodgers. Getting cash doesn't make the team more competitive, as it doesn't have any sort of advantage towards the luxury tax or international pool money. It's just cash. If any of these players find their footing elsewhere, it's going to be a PR nightmare

The most disappointing is infielder Eddys Leonard, who ranked inside the Dodgers' top 30 on MLB Pipeline before being let go. How weren't the Dodgers able to trade him for anything? Maybe he was part of the nixed Rodriguez trade after being DFA'd by the team, but still, to only get cash for a former top-30 prospect is awful.

Los Angeles also acquired Tyson Miller and Pat Valaika in trades for cash. Miller has a career 8.00 ERA (4.01 ERA in MiLB) and Valaika has a career .642 OPS. Hard to get excited about those two.

Dodgers grade for Kiké Hernandez trade: B-

The first substantial move the Dodgers made was trading for an old fan favorite in Kiké Hernandez. Hernandez has struggled immensely the last two seasons and the Dodgers saw an opportunity to buy low and potentially fix whatever's been going wrong.

On paper, this doesn't seem like that big of an acquisition with Hernandez being a negative WAR player before the trade, but for the price the Dodgers paid it was worthwhile. Los Angeles essentially traded two AAA relievers who were not going to be in the postseason bullpen for someone with a career .900 OPS in the playoffs. Can't argue with that swap.

In most cases, this kind of trade would warrant a C+ since it's not guaranteed to work for the Dodgers. But because Hernandez has familiarity here and has delivered for the team on the biggest stage before, the trade should be viewed favorably.

Dodgers grade for Amed Rosario trade: C+

The Amed Rosario trade is very similar as the Dodgers traded a pitcher who was not part of the team's plans (Noah Syndergaard). Both Rosario and Syndergaard struggled before the trade with the two respective teams hoping they can unlock something in each of the players they acquired.

Rosario has his concerns. His advanced fielding metrics are horrible and his overall offensive numbers are not pretty. However, he hits left-handed pitching fairly well and that's what the Dodgers needed to address to set up proper platoons. Passing grade.

Dodgers grade for Joe Kelly, Lance Lynn trade: C-

This is a huge risk by the Dodgers with a chance to really work out and receive a much higher grade ... or blow up in the team's face and become a failing grade. Los Angeles traded one of its lauded pitchers from the Tulsa Drillers in Nick Nastrini to make this deal happen, and that could come back to bite them.

Nastrini likely did not have a path to being a starter with the Dodgers and would've been pigeon-holed in the bullpen, so it makes sense to capitalize on his value. But trading him in this kind of deal instead of saving him for something bigger at the deadline could be a mistake.

Kelly is a fan favorite, but at best he's a slightly above-average middle reliever. Let's not forget about all the heart attacks he induced on the mound for the Dodgers in the past. Lynn is a big name that has been really good before, but has statistically been just as bad as Syndergaard this season.

If the Dodgers make Lynn work and he becomes reliable, then it's a solid trade. But there's also a world in which they trust him to start in the playoffs and he melts down, ending the team's season as a result.

Dodgers grade for Ryan Yarbrough trade: B

The best grade the Dodgers receive is for a minimal trade that was right at the buzzer. The Dodgers traded Devin Mann and Derlin Figueroa, two minor league infielders, for starting pitcher Ryan Yarbrough. Neither Mann or Figueroa had a real path to playing in LA, so shipping them off to Kansas City for some pitching help was certainly a smart move.

A swingman, Ryan Yarbrough's numbers don't jump off the page (4.24 ERA, 1.196 WHIP) but there's a lot of value in adding him to the staff. He's someone who can pitch multiple innings out of the pen (51 innings in 14 games this year) and can even make the occasional spot-start for the Dodgers.

Plus, there are some really promising advanced metrics there with Yarbrough that are worth mentioning. Per Baseball Savant, the southpaw ranks in the 94th percentile in average exit velocity, the 92nd percentile in hard-hit rate, the 98th percentile in walk rate, and the 85th percentile in chase rate.

Yarbrough is a contact pitcher through and through, and with a solid defense behind him in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium, he could end up being very serviceable.

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