Dodgers go a different direction in 2018

Phil Gurnee ♦ August 1, 2018 ♦ Leave a comment

In 2015 the big Dodger deadline deal was Alex Wood to bolster the starting rotation. In 2016 the big Dodger deadline deal was Rich Hill to bolster the starting rotation. In 2017 the big Dodger deadline deal was Yu Darvish to bolster the starting rotation.

None of those transactions helped the Dodgers win a World Series and one could even argue that the Yu Darvish trade hindered their goal since he shit the bed so badly in the World Series.   I openly advocated for the Dodgers to trade for Yu last summer which was a win until the World Series but in hindsight, I and the Dodgers should have set their sights on Verlander but he wouldn’t have fit into their future plans to get under the Luxury Tax.

In 2018 with Wood and Hill still a part of the rotation the Dodgers have gone in a totally different direction and added slugging infielders in an attempt to slug their way to their next World Championship.

There was only one pitcher who was thought to be available who might have been a difference maker and was Jacob DeGrom, but the New York Mets were not interested in trading DeGrom so the Dodgers focused on adding offense. Having lost Corey Seager for the year, it seems like the Dodgers made the prudent move in getting Manny Machado. Adding Brian Dozier yesterday was icing on the cake. Much has been made about what a great second half hitter Dozier has been over the last few years, but in the past he has also crushed left-handed pitching.  In 2018 however, Dozier only has a .722 OPS against LHP compared to his career .872 OPS against LHP. Keep in mind that when we acquired Logan Forsythe in 2017 it was because he also had a history of crushing LHP but once Logan became a Dodger he couldn’t hit any kind of pitching.  I expect Dozier to do what Logan could not do, and hit as a Dodger. Because he’s simply a better hitter and better player overall.  I would not be surprised if the Dozier acquisition does not become a huge asset for the Dodgers the rest of this year.