Image: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
Major League Baseball’s trade deadline officially passed on Tuesday, August 1st at 6PM EDT. The NL West has seen a lot of change this season with the Giants and Dodgers separating themselves from the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Rockies. The biggest storylines in the division surround the Padres’ extreme disappointment, the Diamondbacks’ young stars, and the Dodgers’ slow start, but every NL West team has high expectations and strong ambitions, yet each team took a different approach.
How did your team do?
Los Angeles Dodgers:
The Dodgers are always in play to make a splash at the trade deadline because of the plethora of money and prospects that come out of their farm system. While the Dodgers have made blockbuster deals in recent years for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, this season, the Dodgers’ plans didn’t go as planned.
The biggest move at the trade deadline would have been the Dodgers acquiring Detroit Tigers ace Eduardo Rodriguez, but that fell apart when Rodriguez nixed it with his limited no-trade clause. Instead, the Dodgers had to go to plans B, C, and D.
The Dodgers made moves to bring in starting pitchers Lance Lynn and Ryan Yarbrough, reliever Joe Kelly, and they added infield depth by acquiring Amed Rosario and Enrique Hernandez.
On the way out went OF Trayce Thompson (White Sox), RHP Nick Nastrini (White Sox), RHP Jordan Leasure (White Sox), RHP Noah Syndergaard (Guardians), RHP Nick Robertson (Red Sox), RHP Justin Hagenman (Red Sox), INF Devin Mann (Royals), INF Derlin Figueroa (Royals), and a handful of other players were dished for cash as well.
Lance Lynn, 36, brings experience to the middle of the Dodgers rotation, but he has definitely passed his prime. While Lynn has a career 3.71 ERA, he is posting a whopping 6.61 ERA this season. While his strikeouts are up from last season, he is walking over double the amount of batters than last season (48 vs 19) in the same number of starts, and his WHIP is almost 30 points higher as well.
Luckily for the Dodgers, players always seem to find their stride when they move out to Hollywood. In his first two starts as a Dodger, Lynn is 2-0, going 6.0+ innings in each start and striking out 6+ batters in those starts, as well. If Lynn can go 6 innings in the rest of his starts, the Dodgers struck gold with the veteran pitcher. At the very least, they have a middle-rotation guy that can give them depth come playoffs.
Kelly, 35, is having a similar season to Lynn. While his career ERA is 3.96, he is posting a 4.55 ERA this season. Nonetheless, his strikeouts have stayed par and even his batting average against has gone down by 31 points from last season. The Dodgers needed a serviceable middle reliever, and they got it in Kelly. Not to mention, Kelly had his best seasons with Los Angeles from 2019-2021, so a homecoming could be just what Kelly needs to get back to his old self.
Yarborough, 31, felt like a last-minute move to make up for not getting Rodriguez. He is having one of his best seasons, though, posting a 4.07 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 55.1 innings. Yarborough brings spot starter and long reliever in one to the Dodgers rotation, adding more depth to their pitching core. While it’s not a ‘big name’ trade, it’s the best move of the three pitchers.
As for the offense, the Dodgers brought back Hernandez, 31, and Rosario, 27, to add depth to the middle of the infield.
Hernandez spent six seasons with Los Angeles before leaving in free agency after the 2020 season. Over his last 725 trips to the plate, he’s batted .222/.286/.330 (67 OPS+) with 12 home runs, 76 RBI, and just three stolen bases. Obviously, these numbers do not scream star fielder for the Dodgers, but the Dodgers will likely use Hernández in a split role, utilizing him against lefties most of the time.
Rosario was part of the other side of the blockbuster trade in 2021 that sent Francisco Lindor to the Mets. Over the last three seasons, Rosario has actually outperformed the superstar, batting .273 and a .709 OPS. His power numbers are down this season, however, and he has been inconsistent at the plate as of late, so a change of scenery was in his best interest. Rosario won’t be the premier guy in LA at shortstop, sharing the position with Hernandez and Miguel Rojas, but he’s a nice depth piece that can get plugged in at any point.
The Dodgers gave up a lot of prospects for veteran players, but the Dodgers always have a plan. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I guess. I’m going to be skeptical for now, but I won’t be surprised if the plan comes to fruition in October.
Overall Grade: B
San Francisco Giants:
The Giants are right in the middle of the Wild Card race and just 4.5 GB from the Dodgers… but they made no meaningful moves.
The Giants acquired OF AJ Pollock and INF Mark Mathias from Mariners and RHP Marques Johnson from the Red Sox.
These moves appeared strange, however, given Pollock is batting .173 this season and was on the verge of getting cut and Mathias is a fringe 26th-man utility player.
It’s strange to see the Giants not go out and make big moves after they just missed out on Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa in the offseason. They have proven they have the money to pay Shohei Ohtani or another big name, but coming in second in sports won’t get you anything.
Overall Grade: F
Arizona Diamondbacks:
Arizona has been the biggest surprise this season, producing one of the best young talents in the league in outfielder Corbin Carroll. The D’Backs were actually in first place in the West for a while, until finally surrendering on July 9th. Since then, the team has been in a rut. Now 9 games back from the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks are looking to the Wild Card to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2017.
While the Giants stayed put, Arizona made some splashes at the deadline.
The Diamondbacks acquired RHP Paul Sewald from the Mariners, Tommy Pham and cash from the Mets, and INF Jace Peterson and cash from the A’s.
Sewald, 33, is having a great season, posting a 3.48 ERA and converting 21-24 save opportunities. He also has 63 strikeouts in 44 innings and has an impressive 1.07 WHIP. As one of the best relievers dealt at the deadline, and only giving up three role players in the process, Arizona got a good return for what it gave up.
Pham, 35, signed a one-year contract with the Mets and showed out when given the opportunity. He batted .268 for NY with 10 home runs and provided solid defense in the outfield. He’s capable of playing all three positions in the outfield and should provide a veteran presence to the young Arizona fielders.
Peterson, 33, won’t raise as many eyebrows as the other deals, but he’s a good defender and has shown good production against righties. While he is only batting .221 this season, he has 6 homers and 13 stolen bases, proving to be another good depth infielder for the Diamondbacks.
Overall Grade: B+
San Diego Padres:
The Padres have the third-highest payroll in baseball, and after adding Juan Soto in the big blockbuster trade of last summer, pairing with Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., the expectations were sky high. Unfortunately for the Padres, they currently sit at 55-58, 11 GB from the West and 4 GB from the Wild Card. While the Mets decided to sell being in a similar position, San Diego went for it, buying at the deadline for a second straight year. While there wasn’t a Soto-level deal, the Padres added many depth pieces.
San Diego added LHP Rich Hill and 1B/DH Ji Man Choi from the Pirates, RHP Scott Barlow from the Royals, 1B Garrett Cooper and RHP Sean Reynolds from the Marlins, and OF Ben Gamel from the Rays.
Hill, 43, is still churning out a productive season despite his age. The Michigan product has a 5.09 ERA this season and 108 strikeouts in 122 innings. Hill will be invaluable as a fifth starter or long reliever and still has plenty of gas in the tank.
Choi, 32, and Cooper, 32, were strange at the time, but it appears San Diego will be using the first basemen in a DH platoon role while splitting time at first base as well. Choi is batting.185 and Cooper is batting .256 this season, but both should be an upgrade at DH over Matt Carpenter.
Barlow, 30, has the most potential to be the best move for the Padres, especially after what he did last season. Barlow posted a 2.18 ERA last season, but he is having a complete opposite year, posting a 6.64 ERA this season. His BA against has also ballooned from .198 to .279. If San Diego can get Barlow back to his old self, this could be the best move the Padres made. If nothing else, he provides another late-inning arm in the bullpen.
These moves make sense and look good on paper, but it’s hard to ignore the Padres’ record. A lot will need to happen from now until September for the Padres to make the playoffs, but these moves are a start.
Overall Grade: B
Colorado Rockies:
The Rockies weren’t winning anything this year. Some teams are too stubborn to see that, but the Rockies cut ties on all of their bigger contracts and got younger.
Colorado traded 1B C.J. Cron, OF Randal Grichuk, RHP Pierce Johnson, LHP Brad Hand, and 1B/3B Mike Moustakas.
In return, they acquired RHP Jake Madden, LHP Mason Albright, and RHP Connor Van Scoyoc from the Angels and RHP Victor Vodnik, RHP Alec Barger, and RHP Tanner Gordon from the Braves.
Madden (No. 20), 21, is a 6’ 6” loose righty with good stuff and bad command. He is 2-7 in single-A this season with a 5.83 ERA, but isn’t expected to hit the big stage until 2026.
Albright (No. 21), 20, was a 12th-round pick in 2021, but has greatly improved in the minors over the last season, dropping his ERA from 8.67 in 2022 to 3.40 in 2023 in Single-A. The lefty has a four-pitch arsenal, but there have been concerns about his stamina and consistency. Just like Madden, Albright has at least three years before he hits the show, so there is plenty of time for both prospects to become solid arms.
While Cron and Grichuk were part of the core in Colorado, there was no reason in keeping them with the current state of the team.
Overall Grade: B+
M-SABR 
Leave a comment