Grading every important offseason move the Dodgers made to set up Yamamoto deal

Dodgers sign RHP Daniel Hudson to a minor-league contract

Grade: B+

Daniel Hudson has a 1.97 ERA across two seasons as a Dodger. However, the reason his deal is a minor-league contract is because that production has only been across 27.1 innings. Hudson spent time recovering from a torn left ACL that cut his 2022 campaign short, then sprained his MCL in his right knee after making just three appearances in 2023. Hudson has been very unlucky with injuries, and considering he is going to be 37 years old before the season starts, it makes sense that his market in free agency was small.

If Hudson can't get back on track or stay healthy, it won't cost the Dodgers much, but, if Hudson can stay healthy and pitch at the level he did in 2022, this deal will end up being a steal for the Dodgers. That's why this deal receives such a positive grade.

Dodgers trade LHP Victor González and INF Jorbit Vivas to the Yankees for SS Trey Sweeney

Grade: C+

The Dodgers needed to clear up two spots on the 40-man roster in order to make the Kelly and Ohtani signings official, and that is exactly what this deal did. In terms of the players involved, while González was a key piece in the 2020 bullpen and actually picked up the win in the championship-clinching Game 6 of the World Series, he could not carve out a consistent role in the bullpen since then.

Vivas and Sweeney are relatively similarly-ranked prospects, and Sweeney now becomes the 18th-ranked Dodgers prospect according to MLB, but unlike Vivas, he will not need to be on the 40-man roster. Given the domino effects of this trade, it was a necessary move for the Dodgers to make, but on its own, this trade will probably end up a net negative for L.A.