The Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off the MLB trade deadline by making a flurry of acquisitions. They acquired utility man Kiké Hernandez from the Boston Red Sox and later traded for SS Amed Rosario from the Cleveland Guardians. After bolstering their infield/outfield depth with those moves, LA acquired SP Lance Lynn and RP Joe Kelly from the Chicago White Sox. These three trades highlight the Dodgers' primary deadline moves.

*Stats via Baseball Reference.

Dodgers' trades paying off

Although the sample size has been limited, all four players have provided positive impacts. Rosario has been especially impressive, hitting .385 with a 1.121 OPS across four games as of this story's publication. He commented on the transition of going from the Guardians to the Dodgers following LA's recent 10-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

“It's been great. I've been very blessed to have all the guys… give me an opportunity to join the team and kind of have a smooth transition to being a Dodger,” Rosario said via translator, per Dodger Blue on YouTube.

For Hernandez and Kelly, they had already spent time in Los Angeles. Hernandez is hitting .294 in 17 plate appearances across six games up to this point with the Dodgers. His defensive versatility is key and any added offense will be a bonus for the ball club.

Kelly provides bullpen depth for a Dodgers' relief core that hasn't been quite as reliable as usual during the 2023 season. Although Kelly's season numbers with the White Sox were far from ideal this year, he still projects to be a valuable piece to the puzzle for LA. He's pitched just 0.1 innings for the Dodgers since the trade so far, but recorded a big out for the team.

Lance Lynn joins the rotation

Finally, the Dodgers' standout acquisition ahead of the deadline was Lynn. The former All-Star had struggled mightily with Chicago prior to the trade. Regardless, the Dodgers clearly feel as if he has something left in the tank. Lynn delivered seven innings of work in his debut for the Dodgers, allowing three earned runs and striking out seven. He previously addressed his debut, per Dodger Blue as well.

“We won, so that's good,” Lynn told reporters. “That's all that matters. Offense did a great job, defense was awesome too. Made a couple of mistakes that left the ball park, but we won the game so that's all that matters.”

Lynn also said he has history pitching to Dodgers catcher Will Smith as a result of the World Baseball Classic, where the two were battery mates for Team USA.

“Will and I have a little history with the WBC so we know each other pretty well,” Lynn said.

Dodgers moving forward

Los Angeles currently holds a 2.5 game lead in the National League West over the San Francisco Giants. The San Diego Padres were expected to be LA's most concerning rival in 2023, but they are in fourth place and 8.5 games back. Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks were the Dodgers' most pressing competition to enter the season but AZ has been in a tailspin of late, now sitting 5.5 games behind LA in third place.

Still, the Dodgers know better than to take the Giants for granted. Los Angeles lost the division to San Francisco in 2021 following an improbable Giants' run to the playoffs.

Nevertheless, LA has to be content with the performances of their newcomers so far. Although the team missed on adding a true ace-caliber starting pitcher ahead of the deadline, the Dodgers are poised for a strong stretch run.