Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
While there were a lot of rumors, ultimately, the Dodgers didn’t do anything to get too excited about at Friday’s non-waiver trade deadline.
This was the only trade.
michael morse went with cash to pirates for jose tabata
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2015
Michael Morse was designated for assignment yesterday, so it was just a matter of time before he was not in the organization anymore. Jose Tabata was also DFA’d, so this was just a swap of designated players. Tabata will be in the minors and is about 544th on the Dodgers’ outfield depth chart.
There were plenty of rumors, though. The Dodgers were shopping Alex Wood, interested in Yovani Gallardo, talked to Cleveland about Carlos Carrasco, might be getting Starlin Castro to (presumably) flip for a guy like Tyson Ross — but like most rumors, nothing came of them.
And that’s OK.
The Dodgers made their big move yesterday by shoring up the rotation with Wood and Mat Latos, improving the bullpen’s depth by landing Jim Johnson and Luis Avilan and landing a guy who might be their future second baseman or shortstop in Jose Peraza. They did all this by dealing from depth and not trading any real prospects of significance (outside of 30-year-old Hector Olivera).
August should be fun, as the Dodgers have used their money extremely wisely thus far. Generally, the only players who sneak through waivers are those with big contracts. I’m willing to bet the Dodgers make at least one move of some significance before Aug. 31, but nothing like the Nick Punto trade.
Yes, they didn’t get David Price or Cole Hamles. Guess what? They didn’t need to. As long as Clayton Kershaw is healthy — and no starting pitcher acquired today would lead me to believe he is — and Zack Greinke is dealing, the rest of the rotation will figure itself out.
The final two months should be interesting. The Dodgers hold a half-game lead on the Giants, and the real fun starts tonight.
