It was Commerce Deadline Day, in any other case generally known as Andrew Friedman Appreciation Day, a day often rollicking with the popping of corks and slapping of backs.
But for a Dodgers group that usually wallops each transaction out of the park, Tuesday was full of an odd, solitary sound.
It was the swish of a strikeout.
This time, Goliath didn’t pillage. This time, the wealthy didn’t get richer. This time, the mighty Dodgers received, nicely, Padre’d.
Is {that a} phrase? It ought to be.
By permitting themselves to be outbid by their San Diego neighbors for the good, younger Juan Soto, the Dodgers received Padre’d.
By failing to accumulate a succesful arm past center reliever Chris Martin whereas their San Diego buddies traded for baseball’s greatest nearer in Josh Hader, the Dodgers received Padre’d.
By buying one other underwater hitter in Joey Gallo whereas their San Diego mates added regular swinging Josh Bell, the Dodgers received Padre’d.
No, the Dodgers aren’t going to blow their double-digit lead within the Nationwide League West to that second-place staff within the humorous uniforms. The Dodgers have baseball’s top-ranked pitching employees and second-ranked offense. They’re not folding. Sure, the Dodgers can nonetheless win the World Sequence with their present roster, and doubtless ought to.
However make no mistake, this commerce opens a three-year window on the Padres’ championship hopes, with the 23-year-old Soto being below membership management for 3 pennant races. On the similar time, it barely closes the window on a Dodgers staff that this winter will develop a bit older, a bit creakier, and will lose one in all their co-MVPs, Trea Turner, to free company.
And what if … this October … the Padres survive the newfangled wild-card spherical and in some way meet the Dodgers within the divisional or league championship collection? And what in the event that they play a winner-take-all recreation?
The Dodgers might be led by their all-world foursome of Mookie Betts, Turner, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. However the Padres can now counter with a foursome of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Soto and Bell.
The Dodgers have the beginning pitching benefit, however not by a lot, particularly when you think about their Corridor of Famer Clayton Kershaw is fragile, their ace Walker Buehler is injured, their fan favourite Julio Urías is inconsistent, and their stopgaps Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson aren’t playoff confirmed.
The Dodgers then may need to shut with a rickety Craig Kimbrel, whereas the Padres will end with the warmth from Hader.
In a one-game collection, who you bought?
Don’t reply that.
“They made their staff method higher within the final couple of days and we stay up for that competitors,” Dodgers baseball boss Friedman stated of the Padres on Tuesday throughout a convention name with reporters.
The concept these Padres had been even within the Dodgers’ league was unthinkable only a few days in the past, however their normal supervisor, A.J. Preller, emptied his pockets for the Nationals to get Soto and apparently outbid a wealthy and deep group that ought to by no means be outbid by anybody for something.
Juan Soto, proper, celebrates with Josh Bell after his solo house run towards the New York Mets on Monday in Washington.
(Alex Brandon / Related Press)
Friedman often owns at the present time, bear in mind? Yu Darvish, Manny Machado, Max Scherzer and Turner, bear in mind? After which there was the offseason commerce for Betts.
Does any informal fan bear in mind all the prospects traded for these gamers? Historical past will present that it’s nearly at all times price it to commerce children for superstars. In Soto’s case, he’s each a child and a celebrity, a unicorn of a participant who was traded solely as a result of he wasn’t going to just accept the rebuilding Nationals’ contract provide of 15 years at $440 million.
Soto was a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition, and whereas the Dodgers didn’t precisely want him, they actually didn’t want him to go to one in all their division rivals.
It may be the largest gamble of Friedman’s illustrious profession right here that this was allowed to occur.
“Our observe document would counsel that clearly we’d have been aggressive in attempting to determine one thing out,” Friedman stated.
However he admitted that with the staff taking part in so nicely, his previous willingness to surrender their greatest prospects was considerably lessened.
”We felt actually good concerning the staff that we’ve got in place,” he stated, later including, “We have now a very particular dynamic in that room proper now, it’s one thing that we’re cognizant of.”
Understood. But when they weren’t going to chase Soto with their elite prospects like catcher Diego Cartaya, pitcher Bobby Miller and third baseman Miguel Vargas — who was simply dropped at the large leagues Tuesday — then why didn’t they go elsewhere for some beginning pitching depth? Why not make a severe run for Cincinnati’s Luis Castillo, who ended up with the Seattle Mariners? Or convey again house Frankie Montas, who turned a New York Yankee?
Friedman feels they are going to add loads of pitching when a number of highly effective arms return within the subsequent six weeks from harm to hitch newly lively Andrew Heaney. He’s speaking concerning the likes of Dustin Could, Blake Treinen, and, maybe, even longshot Buehler.
“With some mixture of arms we’ve got probably coming again … it spoke to having a excessive bar,” he stated. “We felt actually good concerning the potential of what our pitching employees can appear like in October.”
But that’s one other gamble, significantly with the rotation. Within the subsequent two months, the issues behind the bullpen could be mounted with a number of revolving relievers, however the subject on the entrance of the rotation stays unsure.
“I be ok with the staff that we’ve got in place and the way in which they’ve carried out,” stated Friedman. “If we’ve got an acute want, you’ll see us be extra on tilt. I be ok with how aggressive we had been.”
However had been they aggressive sufficient? The reply will are available October. The Padres might be ready.
