The Dodgers lineup has been hit onerous by accidents, significantly their infield, which in latest weeks has misplaced shortstop Mookie Betts, third baseman Max Muncy, and multipositional backups Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor. On Monday, the crew made a transfer to shore that up, buying versatile former Gold Glove winner Tommy Edman — who himself has but to play a significant league recreation this season after present process offseason wrist surgical procedure — from the Cardinals as a part of a three-team, 10-player commerce that additionally concerned the White Sox.
Within the full deal, each the NL West-leading Dodgers (63-44) and the Wild Card-chasing Cardinals (54-51) acquired one participant for his or her lineup and one for his or her pitching workers, whereas the White Sox (27-81) loaded up on younger infielders. The top rely for the deal consists of two gamers to be named later, although the groups might as an alternative alternate money. Right here’s the way it all shakes out:
Dodgers get:
Cardinals get:
- RHP Erick Fedde (from White Sox)
- OF Tommy Pham (from White Sox)
- Money (from White Sox)
- Participant to be named later or money (from Dodgers)
White Sox get:
Edman, a 29-year-old switch-hitter who traditionally has been stronger in opposition to lefties (117 wRC+) than righties (93 wRC+), is a contact-oriented hitter who doesn’t stroll a lot however who has some pop to go along with his pace. He batted .248/.307/.399 (92 wRC+) final 12 months for the Cardinals whereas hitting 13 homers and stealing 27 bases; for his profession, he’s hit .265/.319/.408 (99 wRC+). In 2023, he cut up his time between shortstop (46 begins), second base (40 begins), middle discipline (37 begins) and proper discipline (six begins), persevering with a career-long pattern of by no means staying pinned to at least one place for very lengthy. He performed extra third base than anyplace else in as a rookie in 2019 and in ’20 as properly, and has dabbled in left discipline right here and there. In 2021, the 12 months he received the NL Gold Glove for second basemen, he made 35 begins in proper discipline and three at shortstop in addition to 115 on the keystone. When he’s wholesome, he ought to match proper right into a Dodgers roster that has plenty of transferring elements, however his well being is a query mark, and past his skill to steal a base — one thing the Dodgers moreover Shohei Ohtani haven’t achieved a lot of — he doesn’t have plenty of upside offensively.
Edman missed three weeks final July as a result of proper wrist irritation, and the harm hampered him by way of the tip of the season. He really hit for the next wRC+ after the harm than earlier than (98 versus 89), although he did hunch simply previous to being sidelined. He underwent surgical procedure on the wrist in October, however by early March it was clear he hadn’t recovered sufficient to be prepared for Opening Day, as he was nonetheless experiencing lingering ache as a result of irritation. A deliberate rehab stint in late June was forestalled by a proper ankle sprain. He lastly returned to motion on July 9 with Double-A Springfield, however performed simply 4 video games earlier than reinjuring the ankle simply earlier than the All-Star break. Although Edman has been in a position to return to hitting, he’s been restricted to DH responsibility, hitting a skinny .207/.294/.241 in 34 PA unfold over eight video games. The shortage of defensive work signifies that he’ll have to proceed his rehab task for no less than a couple of extra video games.
Replace: Shortly after this text was printed, the Dodgers reacquired utilityman Amed Rosario from the Rays in alternate for Triple-A righthander Michael Flynn, a transfer I’m shoehorning into this evaluation post-publication as it could have an effect on how (and when) they’ll deploy Edman. Rosario, a righty-swinging 28-year-old, cut up final season between the Guardians (the place he performed himself off of standard shortstop responsibility with woefully unhealthy protection) and Dodgers, then signed a one-year, $1.5 million take care of Tampa Bay. He’s hit .307/.331/.417 (115 wRC+) with a career-high 4.6% barrel charge however only a 2.5% stroll charge, although his actual enchantment is as a lefty-masher: He owns a 121 wRC+ in 455 PA in opposition to southpaws for the reason that begin of 2022, and a 92 wRC+ in opposition to righties in 1,035 PA over that very same span. Defensively, he’s made 18 begins in proper discipline, 17 at second, and 10 apiece at quick and third. His metrics are brutal (-5 DRS and -3 FRV in middle, -5 DRS and -4 FRV on the three infield positions), however the samples are small; he hasn’t performed greater than 153.1 innings at any place — in all probability for a very good purpose.
Assuming Edman returns in a well timed style, the Dodgers will in all probability slot him at shortstop initially; till then, they could go for Rosario over Nick Ahmed, who debuted for the crew on July 24 however could possibly be on the bubble, roster-wise. Betts — who’s performed 65 video games on the place after taking part in 16 video games there final 12 months — has been out since an errant fastball fractured a metacarpal in his left hand on June 16. Cleared to swing a bat final week, he could possibly be about two weeks away from returning to the Dodgers lineup. As soon as he returns, the Dodgers might deploy Edman at third base, as Muncy’s progress in his return from a strained indirect suffered in mid-Might has been “stagnant,” per supervisor Dave Roberts. The Dodgers had been 29-16 when Muncy final performed, however they’ve gone simply 34-28 since, with their third basemen hitting a mixed .169/.253/.263 (52 wRC+) in a lineup that’s distinctly missing in size. Enrique Hernández, Taylor, and Cavan Biggio have achieved a lot of the injury in Muncy’s absence; none of them has hit properly at any place, with Biggio posting an 86 wRC+ total with Toronto and Los Angeles, and each Hernández (70 wRC+) and Taylor (62 wRC+) even much less productive.
If the Dodgers ever strategy full power, Edman or Rosario might share time at second with the lefty-swinging Gavin Lux, who’s hit for only a 33 wRC+ in opposition to lefties this 12 months (94 vs. righties). Edman might additionally discover time in middle discipline, the place the Dodgers have netted -0.1 WAR with a 73 wRC+, primarily from Andy Pages, a righty-swinging rookie, and James Outman, a lefty whose struggles have despatched him shuttling between L.A. and Oklahoma Metropolis.
Each Edman and Kopech are beneath management although 2025. Edman is making $7 million this 12 months and is signed for $9.5 million subsequent 12 months; he’s additionally bought awards-based bonuses in his deal. Kopech — who moved to the bullpen after a dreadful 2023 season spent in Chicago’s rotation — is making $3 million this 12 months and shall be arbitration eligible another time. The 28-year-old righty is famend for having thrown a 105-mph fastball as a minor leaguer again in 2016. He nonetheless averages 98.6 mph along with his four-seamer, and is seen as having improbable stuff by our two pitch-modeling techniques (he throws his cutter barely extra usually to lefties and his slider barely extra usually to righties). Nonetheless, his command is a matter; along with putting out 30.6% of hitters, he’s strolling 12.6% (each enhancements in comparison with final 12 months), and he’s additionally served up 1.65 homers per 9, so he has a gaudy 4.74 ERA and 4.82 FIP in 43.2 innings:
Kopech has saved 9 video games and customarily has a late-inning profile, however he’s going to be a little bit of a challenge for pitching coach Mark Prior and firm. The Dodgers bullpen ranks fourth within the NL with a 3.64 ERA, but it surely’s thirteenth in FIP, and it’s been downright horrible for the reason that begin of July, posting a 5.77 ERA and 4.74 FIP in 93.2 innings, tied for the second-highest complete within the majors; relatedly, their banged-up rotation has a 5.10 ERA and 5.47 FIP in 100.2 innings this month, the majors’ second-lowest complete. Righty Evan Phillips leads the crew with 15 saves, however he has simply two over the previous 5 weeks, as Roberts has extra usually turned to righty Daniel Hudson, who has 4 saves since July 12 and 7 total; lefty Alex Vesia has 5 saves, and each Blake Treinen and Brent Honeywell have one apiece.
As for the Cardinals, their large addition is Fedde. A primary-round decide by the Nationals in 2014, he spent elements of six seasons (2017-22) with Washington, getting knocked round for a 5.41 ERA and 5.17 FIP in 454.1 innings. Upon being non-tendered in November 2022, he spent a 12 months pitching for the KBO’s NC Dinos, the place he flat-out dominated, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA and a couple of.38 FIP in 180.1 inning. His efficiency earned him All-Star and MVP honors in addition to the Choi Dong-won Award because the league’s high pitcher, and it rekindled curiosity in him stateside. The White Sox signed Fedde to a two-year, $15 million deal final December.
As Eric Longenhagen detailed when Fedde signed with Chicago, he improved primarily by elevating his arm slot, boosting his changeup utilization, and reshaping his slider (Statcast classifies it as a sweeper). On a crew whose present .250 successful share is stage with that of the 1962 Mets, Fedde posted a more-than-respectable 3.11 ERA and three.76 FIP in 121.2 innings — a efficiency much better than he ever managed with the Nationals. Together with his sinker/cutter/sweeper/changeup combine, he’s putting out a modest 21.5% of hitters however strolling simply 6.8%, and producing a wholesome 44.8% groundball charge:
It’s a command-over-stuff profile, however then, that is the Cardinals. After a 91-loss 2023 season through which their starters had been lit for a 5.08 ERA and 4.61 FIP, they spent this previous winter reshaping their rotation by signing free brokers Sonny Grey, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn. All three have been strong however unspectacular, with Grey the very best (3.79 ERA, 2.85 FIP) as anticipated, however the unit nonetheless ranks twelfth within the NL with a 4.44 ERA and tenth with a 4.09 FIP. Andre Pallante, a 25-year-old righty, has spent the previous two months because the fifth starter, succeeding the place the likes of Matthew Liberatore and the now-inured Steven Matz have scuffled. His 3.42 ERA and three.78 FIP in 47.1 innings over 9 begins is, uh, miles past the work of Miles Mikolas (4.99 ERA, 4.25 FIP). Because of Grey’s backloaded deal, Mikolas is at present the crew’s highest-paid pitcher, nonetheless, so it could be a shock if he results in the bullpen, whereas Pallante pitched in that capability for the Cardinals for the primary few weeks of the season.
In Pham, the Cardinals are getting a well-known face, because the now-36-year-old outfielder was drafted by the crew out of highschool within the sixteenth spherical in 2006 and spent elements of 5 seasons in St. Louis from ’14-18, when he was dealt to the Rays for 3 prospects (Génesis Cabrera, Roel Ramírez and Justin Williams) simply forward of the commerce deadline. The White Sox, with whom he signed a cut up deal for a $3 million wage in mid-April, had been the sixth crew for which he’s performed since then. In 297 PA with them, he’s hit .266/.330/.380 (102 wRC+) with 5 homers and 6 steals.
Pham isn’t hitting the ball as onerous as regular. His 90.5 mph common exit velocity, which locations him within the seventy fifth percentile, is nonetheless down 1.6 mph from final 12 months, when he was within the 93rd percentile, and each his 7.2% barrel charge and 39.9% hard-hit charge are within the 40s, percentile-wise; final 12 months, they had been within the 69th and 89th percentiles, respectively. He’s nonetheless an efficient lefty-masher, with a 141 wRC+ in 61 PA in opposition to southpaws this 12 months, and a 118 in 392 PA for the reason that begin of 2022, in comparison with a 93 wRC+ (in 1,008 PA) in opposition to righties. Dreadful protection (-13 DRS, -6 FRV, and -2.5 UZR, all in 570.2 innings unfold throughout the three outfield positions) has offset the modest worth of his offense. He’s bought no enterprise in middle discipline, although that’s one of many positions the place the Cardinals landed on my latest Substitute Stage Killers checklist, and there may be no less than a pure platoon match. In Edman’s absence, rookie Victor Scott II began the 12 months in middle however went simply 5-for-59 earlier than being despatched down. Michael Siani, a lefty-swinging 25-year-old rookie, has achieved the majority of the work since, hitting a meek .245/.284/.319 (73 wRC+) however taking part in stellar protection (12 FRV, 8 DRS, 6.1 UZR together with his transient time at each outfield corners). He’s hit for a 44 wRC+ in 80 PA in opposition to lefties, so letting Pham take some begins there might not be the worst factor, protection be damned.
Buying and selling Edman was reportedly a part of the Cardinals’ try to stay payroll-neutral. In dealing him, nonetheless, they’ll miss the possibility to shore up not solely middle discipline but additionally second base, the place Nolan Gorman struggled to the purpose of constructing the Killers checklist.
In a separate put up, Longenhagen has evaluation of Gonzalez, a 17-year-old righty who’s at present within the Dominican Summer season League, and goes into element concerning the White Sox’s return, however right here’s a thumbnail information. The 24-year-old Vargas, who positioned forty eighth on our High 100 Prospects checklist in 2023, fizzled in half a season as a rookie final 12 months earlier than being exiled to Triple-A Oklahoma Metropolis. He’s hit .239/.313/.423 (108 wRC+) in 80 PA since getting back from the minors in late Might; the place he performed primarily second base final 12 months, he’s been virtually completely a left fielder this time round. The 19-year-old Albertus ranks sixteenth on the up to date White Sox checklist as a 40-FV prospect. The 19-year-old Perez, in the meantime, has been reevaluated since he went unranked on the Dodgers High Prospects checklist again in March, although he was included within the “Contact-Pushed Profiles” part of the honorable mentions. He now carries a 40+ FV grade and is twelfth on the up to date White Sox checklist. Preliminary reviews of the commerce additionally included 21-year-old shortstop Noah Miller, however he was not really a part of the deal.
With lower than 24 hours to go earlier than the July 30 deadline, the chances are the not one of the three groups on this commerce are achieved. The Dodgers have taken an inexpensive step to patching up an injury-created weak point whereas additionally discover a successor for the Hernández/Taylor multiposition position (it’s powerful to think about both of these gamers on subsequent 12 months’s roster given their struggles); if Edman can present league-average offense, he’s a lift. They’re nonetheless looking for “an impact-type arm,” with the White Sox’s Garrett Crochet one pitcher who might match the invoice. The Cardinals wish to enhance their bullpen, as is each different contender. The White Sox nonetheless have Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. as big-ticket gamers to restock their system. We’ll see what awaits.
