Looking Back on the LA Dodgers Trade of Dee Gordon

At the Winter Meetings in 2014, the Dodgers wanted a full rebuild of their infield and to overhaul their roster. The Dodgers sent Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, and Miguel Rojas to the Marlins for top pitching prospect Andrew Heaney, right-hander Chris Hatcher, and two current Dodgers in Kiké Hernandez and Austin Barnes.

While Barnes is now in the Minor Leagues, to still have two players on the 40-man roster from this deal is fairly impressive.

The Trade

Dee Gordon was coming off of a solid year for Los Angeles in 2014, that saw him bat .289 and steal 64 bases. Many fans were confused at the time of the deal, but the deal made so much sense in hindsight. Gordon was not an above average hitter nor an above average glove. In terms of wRC+, Gordon has only had one season better than 2014 in his career. He posted a 102 wRC+ with the Dodgers in 2014 and a 116 wRC+ with the Marlins in 2015. Now playing for the Seattle Mariners, Gordon has 324 career stolen bases and just a 90 wRC+ on top of that.

Haren was on the downside of his career, but managed a 4.02 ERA for the Dodgers in 2014. He would go on to pitch just two more seasons in the MLB.

Rojas, still with the Marlins in 2019, is most famous for making a fantastic play at third base to preserve Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter. He holds just a 4.7 WAR mark across 606 games of a lifetime 90 wRC+.

The Moving Parts

Andrew Heaney

Heaney was property of the Dodgers for a matter of hours and was dealt for Howie Kendrick. The oft-injured Heaney is at-best, a number 5 starter with a lifetime 4.40 ERA.

Andrew Heaney gives a heartfelt thanks to the #Dodgers after being traded! LOL! pic.twitter.com/LOZXEpxGF1

— MLB Memes (@MLBMeme) December 11, 2014

Chris Hatcher

Yes. the infamous Chris Hatcher. That’s him. A career 4.65 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. 4.64 ERA and 1.36 WHIP for the Dodgers. How did they let him throw so many innings?

Kiké Hernandez

Hernandez by himself has had a more ‘productive’ career than Dee Gordon. As one of the premier super utilities in the league, Hernandez has been a meaningful part of Dodger playoff runs and is no stranger to heroics. Hernandez has a 102 wRC+ since the trade and Gordon has a 92 wRC+. That is a win in itself.

Austin Barnes

I understand that now is probably not the best time to explain this, but Austin Barnes was once a highly-regarded catching prospect. Since the trade, Barnes has actually been a better hitter than Gordon (94 wRC+).

Overall

The Dodgers won this one. Hernandez and Barnes still being on the 25-man roster, no matter how poorly they perform, is a win. Miguel Rojas is the only player still on the Marlins and is not someone who you regret trading.