Editorials

Dodgers Roster: LA Primed to Add More WAR Than Any Juan Soto Trade Could

The Dodgers lost out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes. The superstar outfielder is heading to San Diego to join a now much better than they were Padres team. While it’s easy to be bummed that the boys in blue aren’t picking up another generational talent at the trade deadline, there’s enough reason to still be plenty ok with where the club is at.

Deadline move or no.

The Dodgers are on top of the NL West by a wide margin. Sure, the Padres are getting better and these two teams still play each other 12 more times over the next two months (with the first 3 of those games coming this weekend in LA).

So, the good guys are in a good spot… and they’re primed to get even better.

The Hot Stove is Heating Up! Dodgers Still Playing the Waiting Game. Outman’s Trade Value Goes Up

On Monday night, the Dodgers picked up win number 69 on the season, most in the National League by 4 games. They own the best winning percentage heading into play tonight in San Francisco at .676. The 70 win Yankees are at .673. And they’ve done all that while being without several key players at different points all through the season.

To name a few, Clayton Kershaw missed time with a hip issue. Andrew Heaney has started just 5 games all season while dealing with shoulder problems. Walker Buehler has been out since June and still, the Dodgers have 69 wins.

So, again, the team has done this without some key names and is continuing to do so. However, as the calendar trudges along, those key pieces will be getting healthier and could be set to make the Dodgers that much better.

Dustin May is two Minor League rehab starts away from rejoining the club. Chris Taylor sets out on an assignment today. Edwin Rios could be back in as little as two weeks if everything goes according to plan. Blake Treinen is throwing another bullpen session in San Francisco on Wednesday and, if everything goes well, could be heading out on his own rehab assignment soon after.

No other team in baseball is primed to add as much talent as these Los Angeles Dodgers are over the next two months. Sure, the Padres will be getting Fernando Tatis back as soon as mid-August, but Soto and Tatis are but two players. LA has 7 on the mend and a few hours left before the trade deadline as of publishing time.

Dodgers Trade Deadline 2022: A Journal As Moves Happen

Clint Pasillas

Clint Pasillas has been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008. Under Clint's leadership as the Lead Editor, Dodgers Nation has grown into one of the most read baseball sites in the world with millions of unique visitors per month. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!

14 Comments

    1. Friedman wanted a player who hit for a lower batting average than Muncy, so Maxy does’nt feel bad. LOL
      We are counting on too many extended injuries to come back and not have any set backs!

      1. yup. we need another 160 hitter who strikes out twice a game. if the coaches can’t teach bellingher and munch to make contact what do they think they are going to do with Gallo

    2. This was all about looking for a bargain, and while Gallo is having a terrible year at the plate, the change of scenery at least gives him a better chance of getting out of the funk than the other guys we have in the crapper.

      With that said, I don’t think that this was a good move at all and I’d rather have kept Lamb who we dumped to make a spot for Joey. Hitting like Lamb right now is probably a best case scenario in fact for Gallo.

      I was scared to death we’d end up with Soto, and especially after we saw the price. As great of a talent that Soto is, he tells the truth when he tells us this is his worst year, even though few in the league are as good as his worst. When the price is this sky high, we would be negligent not to take these things into account. There’s also all that money which can be used for other purposes, like re-signing Trey for instance, without having to part with any players,

      As much as I want to see us win another world series, I also appreciate the team being responsible to the guardianship of the future. The Padres can’t hang with us now and it’s nice to know that their challenge will be all the bigger once Soto is gone and their stock of young talent has been so diminished in the bargain.

      1. Ken, you said it correctly. This was all about getting a bargain. I am also very happy that we did not give away the farm in pursuing Soto. I sincerely hope for the Dodgers sake and for Gallos sake he is successful in this transition. But in the back of my mind, I keep hearing that old saying, “ you get what you pay for.”

  1. Not real excited about Gallo. He had a 159 batting average during his tenure as a NY Yankee. Yes he is good defensively, but he can not hit. I am perplexed by this move even though he really did not cost us anything. We need to make sure we get our relief pitching under control. That is my number one concern.

    At least the Padres are going to have to deal with Soto’s agent Scott Boras, once Soto’s current contract ends.

  2. Sometimes you win by losing. Signing Soto would have been a big loss for the future. Besides, he is a free agent in a few years, let’s see what happens then.

    What we need is a closer. Let’s hope Treinen is going to come back healthy and rested and ready.

    1. Yeah Soto would have been a big mistake at that price or anything close. Let’s go after him once his contract is up and see who wins when we and the Padres are competing with dollars not players. The team has several good relievers that would be better suited than Kimbrel even without Treinen. It also may be too much to expect Treinen to come back and be suitable to use as a closer, or at least would need to work up to it. The pen doesn’t need any more arms, they just need to use what they have a little better, which includes using Kimbrel in situations more appropriate to his performance this year. Meanwhile, getting Treinen back would be a nice addition.

  3. I’m with everyone who commented here; Gallo’s SOs make Bellinger look like a contact hitter and who’s ABs will he take? Very puzzling.

    1. We’re down to hoping that Red Bull gives him wings. Don’t hold your breath. Without it, he’s the worst hitter on the team even though he does have some competition. Who knows though, maybe he can at least elevate his game to that of Jake Lamb so the deal won’t look so stupid. We did get him for nothing basically though and who knows, maybe we’ll be left smiling in the end. Jooo-eeeee!

  4. lets hope Gallo is a replacement for Mckinstry, and Rios returns to 3B and Muncy takes Outman”s place at OKC and tries to find his swing. Dodgers have enough aging formerly good players who should be thinking that it’s time to retire.

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