The Los Angeles Dodgers made the biggest move of the 2021 MLB trade deadline when they acquired the Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer and shortstop Trea Turner. According to Maria Torres, the two All-Stars cost the Dodgers their top two prospects in Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray, along with two lower-ranked prospects in Gerardo Carrillo and Donovan Casey.
Full return for #Nationals Max Scherzer-Trea Turner deal with Dodgers is catcher Keibert Ruiz, RHPs Josiah Gray and Gerardo Carrillo, and OF Donovan Casey, source confirms
— Maria Torres (@maria_torres3) July 30, 2021
You rarely see a team give up their top two prospects in one trade, but this is a once-in-a-generation trade with the Dodgers getting two of the best players in the MLB during their peak. This immediately puts the Dodgers as the favorite to win the title and puts them in a good position to catch the Giants and win the National League West.
While Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray have shown real promise in the minor leagues, they are both too young to contribute to this Dodgers team now. With the age of the Dodgers roster, and Corey Seager likely to leave in free agency, this is the best time for the Dodgers to go all in and try to repeat as World Series champions.
So what exactly will Max Scherzer and Trea Turner bring to this team? Star power and consistency. Max Scherzer is one of the best pitchers of his generation with three Cy Young awards, eight All-Star appearances, and a World Series ring from 2019, and there are very few pitchers that have the accolades he has. Scherzer has been great so far in 2021, posting a 2.76 ERA with 147 strikeouts in his 19 starts.
Scherzer has proven time and time again that he is one of the best ever to do it and he'll bring a steadying presence to a Dodgers rotation that has been injured and has had to deal with the Trevor Bauer situation.
Another position that the Dodgers have struggled with all season is second base. While Gavin Lux has been good defensively, his numbers offensively have left a lot to be desired as he has only hit .227/.307/.349 for an OPS of .656, which is not terrible, but they would like to see more production from the position. That is where Trea Turner comes in. Turner has been one of the best ( and most underrated) shortstops over the past three seasons, and 2021 has been his best year so far.
Turner currently has an incredible slash line of .322/.369/.521 for an OPS of .890, which for the shortstop position is elite, but at the second base position is on another level. With Corey Seager coming back from injury soon, Turner will slot well into the second base spot and the Dodgers will hope for a similar outcome that the Blue Jays have had with moving Marcus Semien to second.
While the Dodgers got the better end of this deal, the Nationals did not come out empty-handed. With two top 100 prospects and some mid-range promising prospects, they bolster their farm system for their future around Juan Soto. So, while the 2019 World Series core is no longer there, you should feel good about the future with Soto and Ruiz in the lineup if you are a Nationals fan.
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