Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Well, that trade deadline didn’t go exactly as expected, as the Dodgers traded for a pitcher but also got rejected by another, tried to trade for other better pitchers and failed to complete deals, before finally turning to Plan C or D or E or F to get an arm that’s alive at least.
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Things started off with news that the Dodgers traded for starter Eduardo Rodriguez from the Tigers, however they would not be getting him because he invoked his no-trade clause to remain closer to his family.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers had a trade in place for left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez, but Rodriguez invoked his 10-team no-trade clause that included the Dodgers and the deal is now dead, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 1, 2023
From what I’ve been told by players that know Eduardo Rodriguez.
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) August 1, 2023
His preference is to only pitch on east coast to be close to family. ??#Dodgers #Tigers https://t.co/BPyYkFNNzX
Fair enough on his part, though a big blow for the Dodgers because Rodriguez was one of the better rentals on the market, as this site explained last week.
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The Dodgers then seemingly pivoted to Dylan Cease of the White Sox for about an hour or so before that was shot down.
There is growing buzz that the White Sox may trade Dylan Cease in the next 10 minutes, per sources. Dodgers and Orioles seen as favorites if he's moved.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 1, 2023
Dylan Cease stays in Chicago, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 1, 2023
There was even a moment of going after James Paxton from the Red Sox.
Dodgers talking to Red Sox about Paxton, still outside chance for ERod, who would need to reverse decision on no-trade, source tells @TheAthletic. Both considered longshots.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 1, 2023
Obviously that didn’t work out either.
Welp.
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Anyway, all of that is to lead to the news of the Dodgers trading for Ryan Yarbrough from the Royals, seemingly somewhat of a desperation move to get any kind of rotation reinforcement for a decent cost.
The Dodgers have acquired Ryan Yarbrough from the Royals, sources tell me and @juanctoribio.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 1, 2023
The former Rays pitcher is a 31-year-old swingman making $3 million and has a year of control after this year. Yarbrough comes with a 4.24 ERA in 51 innings that’s about in line with his 4.32 ERA for his career, and really the rest of his numbers follow suit. He has a 4.29 FIP this year and a 4.16 FIP for his career, while a 4.97 SIERA is a bit higher than his 4.32 career average. For better or worse, there’s not much difference in his numbers as a starter or reliever since he usually has the same role of getting a couple times through the order, regardless. Basically, he’s a guy and serviceable. That’s his thing.
Of course, it has to be noted that he has overcome adversity just to be back pitching, as on May 7 he sufferered multiple facial fractures after being hit by a comebacker.
But since he’s been back and into the rotation in July, he has posted a 2.19 ERA and 3.35 ERA in four starts over 24.2 innings. Surely the Dodgers are banking that he can continue providing that length and effectiveness to help with their horrid rotation woes.
That said, there’s also this:
Yarbrough vs AL Central
— Josh Thomas (@jokeylocomotive) August 1, 2023
2.05 ERA/3.35 FIP
vs all others
6.57 ERA/5.30 FIP https://t.co/znPKlY1Tv7
As you may remember from the 2020 World Series, he’s a crafty lefty with a low arm-slot that sits around 87 mph with his fastball that he uses about a quarter of the time, and mixes in a cutter, slider, and change that are also used about a quarter of the time to keep hitters off-balance.
The return to the Royals will be INF Devin Mann and SS Derlin Figueroa.
The Royals will receive 1B Devin Mann and SS Derlin Figueroa from the Dodgers for Yarbrough, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 1, 2023
Mann ranked #41 on our Midseason Top 55 and profiles as a utility infielder that didn’t have a spot to play on the Dodgers and wasn’t protected in the Rule 5 Draft last year, and Figueroa wasn’t ranked.
While it’s not necessarily a big deal to lose them, Mann does seem like a major leaguer in some capacity and Figueroa is young, promising, and seems to be passing his first stateside test (.748 OPS in ACL), so it’s probably an indication of where the market is if that’s what it cost for a guy to be fringy and alive.
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Oh right, the Dodgers also did three trades for cash.
The Dodgers traded LHP Justin Bruihl to the Colorado Rockies for cash considerations.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 1, 2023
Justin Bruihl, you did what the Dodgers asked.
Dodgers have traded Phil Bickford and Adam Kolarek to the Mets, as @ByRobertMurray said. Bickford was DFA’d over the weekend.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 1, 2023
Good luck to The Wagon Phil Bickford and Juan Soto‘s Father Adam Kolarek.
The Dodgers did in fact make a deal with Detroit. They sent Eddys Leonard to the Tigers for cash.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 1, 2023
Seems like giving up Eddys Leonard, our #31 ranked prospect, for nothing isn’t ideal. Literally better than anybody they gave up for Yarbrough.
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Overall, it’s a pretty surprising deadline for the Dodgers without major upgrades and a ton of acquisitions at the fringes. This is their most flawed team in a while, and the Dodgers are essentially banking on a bunch of guys getting better with a change of scenery for one reason or another. If not, they’ll be stuck with the same serious issues they had already.
While I understand not wanting to go all-in with a market this overheated, they do still have a lot of prospects that need a place to play next year since they all can’t be in Los Angeles, and it was a very (arguably overly) conservative approach at the deadline that’s sees another year of the primes of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith pass. And is maybe even the last year of Clayton Kershaw. Hopefully it’s not a waste.
