The MLB trade deadline came and went with very few moves coming from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. The Dodgers, who have made some of the biggest deadline deals of any team, such as last year's Trea Turner-Max Scherzer haul or the Manny Machado deal of a few years back, opted to go for small-scale moves.
The club brought in outfielder Joey Gallo in a trade with the New York Yankees while also dealing for reliever Chris Martin. Those two moves constituted the bulk of LA's dealings. So, what was the biggest surprise of the Dodgers' deadline?
Was it the trade for Gallo, who has looked lost at the plate for much of the first half? One could certainly make the case that it could be the most surprising part of the Dodgers' trade deadline.
But it wasn't quite the most surprising part. This was.
Dodgers' Biggest MLB Trade Deadline Surprise
No substantial Dodgers trades made
Dodgers fans had to be surprised. For a team that has operated about as aggressively as any in recent MLB trade deadline history, for the club to sit back and simply make a couple of small tweaks to the roster was downright shocking.
This is the same team that traded for Scherzer and Turner last year, right? And to make matters worse for Los Angeles, the division-rival San Diego Padres swiped the deadline's biggest prize, Juan Soto, right from under their nose.
The Padres also bolstered their bullpen in Josh Hader while adding some significant muscle to the batting order with the additions of Josh Bell and Brandon Drury. Those moves show that San Diego means business. They believe they can compete with the Dodgers.
And Los Angeles general manager Andrew Friedman just sat back and watched it all happen? Well, not exactly. Friedman said that conversations were had about improving the team. He noted the “special dynamic” the club has, essentially alluding to the fact that it played a part in their decision to play things quietly at the deadline.
It makes sense. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball, have yet to really go on a hot streak and will get players like Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Blake Treinen, Tommy Kahnle and Brusdar Graterol back from injury.
They didn't need to make any impact deals. But when has that ever stopped the Dodgers before? A bullpen that has been heavily reliant on the likes of Craig Kimbrel, who has seen plenty of traffic on the basepaths with a 1.51 WHIP, couldn't have stood to improve with an addition like David Robertson?
The versatile Drury wouldn't have helped the Dodgers beef up their outfield depth while also lengthening their lineup? These weren't world-beating moves.
They were moves that the Dodgers could have made without surrendering talented prospects. Now, there's no telling what will happen in the rest of the season.
LA could get hot and go on a deep postseason run. They could win the World Series. But if they don't, a lot of fans will be left wondering if this team might have been better served with an extra addition or two at the MLB trade deadline.
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