Introduction to the Dodgers’ Trade Deadline
Before trade rumors heated up and dream scenarios were briefly envisioned, before the Dodgers were linked to a string of big names who all wound up anywhere but Los Angeles, the team’s front office foreshadowed what proved to be a rather straightforward, unremarkable trade deadline on Thursday afternoon. “This group is really talented,” general manager Brandon Gomes said last week. “I would argue it’s better than the team that won the World Series last year.” “It’s really about our internal guys, and the fact that these are veteran guys that have well-established watermarks,” echoed president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, amid a July slump that fueled deadline speculation about what the team would need. “I think the fact that we see the work they put in, how much they care, just makes it easier to bet on.”
The Dodgers’ Moves at the Trade Deadline
On Thursday, maintaining faith in their current group is exactly what the Dodgers did. The team did address its two main needs ahead of MLB’s annual midseason trade deadline. In the bullpen, it reunited with right-handed veteran Brock Stewart in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. In the outfield, it added solid-hitting, defensively serviceable 30-year-old Alex Call in a deal with the Washington Nationals. But compared with the flurry of blockbuster deals that reverberated around them in the standings — from a head-spinning seven-player shopping spree by the San Diego Padres, to a bullpen arms race between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies — the Dodgers’ moves were mild, tame and certainly cost-conscious.
Analysis of the Dodgers’ Acquisitions
The Dodgers didn’t splurge for one of the several established closers that were dealt for sky-high prices throughout the league. They didn’t remake their lineup by landing someone like Steven Kwan, or any other hitter with anything close to All-Star pedigree. The Dodgers’ James Outman (33) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run during a game against the Miami Marlins in May. (Marta Lavandier / Associated Press) In fact, the Dodgers hardly gave up much at all, content to round out the margins of their roster while parting with little in the way of prospect capital. “We haven’t even come close to playing our best baseball,” Gomes said after Thursday’s deadline, which the Dodgers entered with a 63-46 record but more roster questions than they expected to have with their $400-million payroll.
The Impact of the Trades on the Dodgers’ Roster
High-A pitchers Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Liñan (the 16th- and 20th-ranked players in their farm system by MLB Pipeline) were shipped to Washington. But otherwise, the only other departures were 40-man roster players unlikely to factor much into the team’s late-season plans: James Outman, who went to Minnesota in exchange for Stewart; Dustin May, who was dealt to the Boston Red Sox (where he will get the opportunity to remain in the rotation) for a pair of outfield prospects a few months before entering free agency; and minor league catcher Hunter Feduccia, who was part of a three-team deal late Wednesday night that netted the Dodgers two pitching prospects and a journeyman catcher. Compared to last year — when the Dodgers added Jack Flaherty (their eventual Game 1 starter in the World Series), Tommy Edman (the eventual National League Championship Series MVP) and Michael Kopech (a key piece in a bullpen that carried the team to a World Series title) — it all felt rather anticlimactic.
The Dodgers’ Faith in Their Current Group
Which, as the Dodgers’ top two executives had noted the week before, appeared to be perfectly fine by them. “I think it’s always about how does everything fit together with what our current roster is, what our needs are,” Gomes said. “We went into this season with a really high bar of talent. And outside of losing Evan [Phillips, who was lost for the year to a Tommy John surgery], we’re in that same spot. So we felt like this is an incredibly talented group that, as we get healthy and these guys hit their stride, we feel like we’re in a great position for another deep run into October.” In Stewart, the team got a lower-cost addition in what was an expensive seller’s market for relievers. The 33-year-old has only two career saves, and is unlikely to fix the Dodgers’ ninth-inning problems.
The Addition of Alex Call
In Call, the Dodgers gave themselves more versatility in the outfield. The right-handed hitter has appeared in just 277 career games over four MLB seasons with the Nationals and Cleveland Guardians. But the former third-round draft pick is having a nice 2025 season, highlighted by a .274 batting average, .756 OPS and decent (if unspectacular) defensive grades at all three outfield positions. Gomes said Call would mix into the Dodgers’ current outfield group, although not in a straight left-field platoon with recently resurgent left-handed hitting outfielder Michael Conforto. He also gives the Dodgers another option in center field, specifically, which would allow Andy Pages to spend more time in a more naturally suited corner outfield spot.
Conclusion
What was missing from the Dodgers’ deadline, however, was the kind of big splash so many other contenders reeled off this week. The Padres acquired Mason Miller, Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn without sacrificing any key big-league pieces. The Mets added Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley and Gregory Soto to their already stout bullpen, while the Phillies upgraded theirs with the addition of Jhoan Durán. Already this year, the rest of the NL was keeping pace with what was billed as a seemingly invincible Dodgers team. Suddenly, the competition now looks that much stronger, not only for the club to defend its World Series, but even preserve the narrow three-game lead it holds over the Padres in the division. The Dodgers are banking on a pitching staff that is starting to get healthy and a lineup that will get back on track, which they believe should yield a team capable of repeating a run to the World Series.
FAQs
Q: Who did the Dodgers acquire at the trade deadline?
A: The Dodgers acquired Brock Stewart and Alex Call at the trade deadline.
Q: What were the Dodgers’ main needs ahead of the trade deadline?
A: The Dodgers’ main needs were in the bullpen and outfield.
Q: Did the Dodgers make any big splashes at the trade deadline?
A: No, the Dodgers did not make any big splashes at the trade deadline, instead making mild and cost-conscious moves.
Q: What is the Dodgers’ current record and standing in the division?
A: The Dodgers entered the trade deadline with a 63-46 record and a narrow three-game lead over the Padres in the division.
Q: What is the Dodgers’ strategy going forward?
A: The Dodgers are banking on a pitching staff that is starting to get healthy and a lineup that will get back on track, which they believe should yield a team capable of repeating a run to the World Series.
