MLB trade deadline could help rejuvenate Luis Robert's fantasy baseball value
'No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.'
— Buddha
Every New Year's Eve, you make resolutions on how the next year of your life can and will be different. Some want to lose weight, some may want to make it their goal to see and speak to their friends more often. Either way, every year is a fresh start.
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Baseball's trade deadline brings the possibility of change, and the potential rejuvenation of once-promising careers. One player who could benefit from a change of scenery is White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr., who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting and earned a Gold Glove in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
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The Red Sox promoted him to double-A and he hit .207/.319/.267, which isn't great, but he's only 22. Either the Red Sox saw something they didn't like, or they gave up on him way too soon. MLB has him as the No. 7 prospect in the Dodgers' system. Ehrhard was selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. He's a right-hander who can play left or right, and has some speed, stealing 23 bases in 88 minor league games this season while hitting .270/.371/.434 split between High-A and double-A. He is now the 25th-ranked prospect in the Dodger system. Injuries sidetracked what looked like was going to be a great career for May. He has shown flashes of his old form this season, but has a 4.84 ERA in 104 innings (the first time he has pitched over 100 innings). With Tony Gonsolin and Blake Snell back, there was no room in the rotation for May, and apparently he didn't want to pitch in the bullpen. He is going to be a free agent after this season, so getting two good prospects for him is a good deal. He will probably become Boston's fifth starter, joining former teammate Walker Buehler in the Red Sox rotation. Gomes on the trade: 'We had a lot of really respectful conversations with D-May, and he's been a huge part of the organization for a long time. Through those conversations, it was apparent that starting was very important to him. And while we felt like he could have been a contributor out of the bullpen and an impact-type piece, trying to understand the mindset and his desire to continue to start, we took that into consideration.' —Dodgers acquired outfielder Alex Call from Washington for minor league pitchers Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Linan. Call, 30, can play all three outfield positions and has a good defensive reputation. If nothing else, he can sub in for Michael Conforto or Teoscar Hernández at the end of games to get a better glove in the game. He is hitting .274/.371/.386 over 237 plate appearances this season, and could become a platoon partner with Conforto, with Call starting against left-handers, against whom he has much better success (.262/.345/.403 in his career versus .230/340/349 against righties). In his one season as a regular, he hit .200/.307/.307, so he's not cut out to be an everyday starter. He has two minor league option years remaining and is under team control through 2029. He works the count and draws walks. Swan was the 16th-ranked prospect and Linan 20th. Swan has a high-90s fastball and had a 4.43 ERA in High-A this season, but gave up almost as many walks (46) as hits (49) in 79 innings. Linan's out pitch is a changeup. He had a 2.01 ERA in 67 innings while striking out 89 spread across High-A and Low-A. He is only 20. Gomes to reporters on Call: 'This guy's just a straight grinder, works at-bats. Playing against him, he's always incredibly frustrating to try to game plan for and get out. So I think it was a nice balance to fill some holes and continue to build out with a really, like, functional roster on top of the already really strong talent we had.' —In a three-team deal, Dodgers acquired minor league pitcher Adam Serwinowski from Cincinnati and pitcher Paul Gervase and minor league catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Rays for catcher Hunter Feduccia. Serwinowski is considered the class of this part of the deal, as he was a top 10 prospect for the Reds and is ranked 14th with the Dodgers. He's 6-5 and left-handed, and scouts do love the tall left-handers. He has struck out 242 in 188.1 minor league innings, but has struggled somewhat in High-A this season, with a 5.45 ERA, giving up 68 hits and 39 walks in 74.1 innings. Gervase is a 6-10 right-hander who joins the Dodgers in the majors. He is 25 and pitched only six inning with the Rays, but had a 3.12 ERA in triple-A with 63 strikeouts in 40.1 inning, giving up 27 hits and 12 walks. He's tall, but his fastball reaches 'only' 94, and he also throws a slider and a cutter. Rortvedt, with all due respect, basically provides minor league depth at catcher for the Dodgers. He has hit .186/.276/.265 in 209 games in the majors. Feduccia was squeezed out when the Dodgers decided it was time to let Dalton Rushing play in the majors. He's 28 and will get more of a chance to play elsewhere, as his path to the majors in L.A. was limited to someone getting hurt. So there you have it. Nothing earth-shaking. What does it mean? It means the Dodgers have decided to go all-in on the team they have. The team that made some people get carried way with themselves and predict 120 wins. The team that many consider a disappointment despite them being in first place most of the season. The Dodgers believe that getting Glasnow and Snell back, and possibly Roki Sasaki, will stabilize the rotation. Then getting Blake Treinen back, and hopefully getting Brusdar Graterol, Michael Kopech, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates back will stabilize the bullpen. That Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández will start hitting like themselves again (Freeman is already showing signs of it). That Max Muncy will return and hit like he did before he was injured. That's a lot to hope for, but it could happen. When the season began, Andrew Friedman said he signed guys like Scott and Yates and Sasaki so the team wouldn't have to overpay to acquire anyone at the trade deadline. And it appears we should have believed him. They have almost all of their top prospects still, while the Padres traded 10 of their top 30 prospects in a bid to win it all this year. The Dodgers have acquired big names at the deadline before, names that seemed to put them over the top, only to see it not happen. Yu Darvish. Max Scherzer. Trea Turner. Other teams made bigger improvements this year at the deadline. But that has happened before without those teams winning the World Series. Did the Dodgers do the right thing this year? Emotionally, it would have been nice to see a big name or two added, but in reality, it's impossible to say. Some people will say the sky is falling and that the Dodgers guaranteed failure this season by doing relatively little. Some will say they did the right thing. But the truth is, no one knows what will happen. There were plenty of people who thought the Dodgers weren't going to win the World Series last year because they didn't have enough starting pitching. But they did. Guys they needed to stepped up. Yoshinobu Yamamoto stepped up, as did others. Guys they didn't count on stepped up. Walker Buehler stepped up, as did unexpected others. That's what has to happen this year, any year, to win the World Series. Will the Dodgers have the expected guys, and the unexpected ones, step up? The Dodgers could win the World Series. They could lose in the first round. They could fall apart and not even make the postseason. Don't worry about the destination right now. Enjoy the ride. How do the Dodgers feel about what they did? Again, Gomes: 'We feel really good about this group. Coming into the year, we felt like this was as talented of a roster as we've ever had. We're in a position where we're in first place, and I don't even think we've played our best baseball yet. So as we continue to get some of our starters back, and then adding these pieces, and our guys just kind of playing up to their potential, we feel like it's still a really, really strong team, and we don't feel any differently about our aspirations than we did at the beginning of the year.' To read how Jack Harris recapped everything, click here. To read what Bill Plaschke's opinion on all this is, click here. The Padres have won seven of eight and are surging, only three games behind the Dodgers. What did they do at the deadline? Let's look: —Acquired pitcher Nestor Cortes, minor league infielder Jorge Quintana from Milwaukee for outfielder Brandon Lockridge Cortes gave up the grand slam to Freddie Freeman in Game 1 of the World Series. He made two starts for Milwaukee then went on the IL. He is scheduled to come off soon. —Acquired first baseman-outfielder Ryan O'Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano from Baltimore for six minor leaguers: Boston Bateman, Brandon Butterworth, Cobb Hightower, Victor Figueroa, Tyson Neighbors, and Tanner Smith O'Hearn and Laureano could platoon in left, which has been a weak spot all year for the Padres. O'Hearn is hitting .277/.342/.454 over the last three years with Baltimore. Or they could just start Laureano, who is hitting .290/.355/.529 this season and put O'Hearn at first. Or have O'Hearn switch between first and DH. —Acquired infielder Will Wagner from Toronto for minor league catcher Brandon Valenzuela Wagner can play any infield position, so he gives the Padres versatility, but he was sent to the minors after they acquired him. He is hitting .237/.336/.298 this season. —Acquired catcher Freddy Fermin from Kansas City for pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek Catching has been a real weak spot for San Diego this season, and Fermin gives them a bit of an upgrade on offense and defense. In four seasons with the Royals, he is hitting .268/.314/.383, but he is having his worst season this year. Bergert has a 2.78 ERA in seven starts this season, while Kolek has a 4.18 ERA in 14 starts. Seems like the Padres overpaid a bit. —Acquired pitchers Mason Miller and JP Sears from Athletics for minor league shortstop Leo De Vries and minor league pitchers Henry Baez, Braden Nett and Eduarniel Nunez The Padres upgraded an already stellar bullpen. Don't let Miller's 3.76 ERA fool you. He had a rough couple of weeks, but since then has been his usual great self, giving up one run in his last 15 innings with 19 strikeouts. His fastball averages 101 mph. Sears is a starter with a career 4.48 ERA. De Vries is considered the Padres' top prospect and the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball, so the Padres paid a price for the two pitchers. Will it pay off? Will trading 10 of their top 30 prospects get them that long-awaited World Series title this year? Reading the reaction of Padres fans on social media, they are just as split as Dodger fans. Some think the Padres overpaid. Some think this will lead to the promised land. For all the trades by every team, click here. A look at some previous trade deadline deals by the Dodgers. 2017 —Acquired pitcher Yu Darvish from Texas for A.J. Alexy, Willie Calhoun and Brendon Davis. —Acquired pitcher Tony Cingrani from Cincinnati for Scott Van Slyke and Hendrik Clementina. —Acquired pitcher Tony Watson from Pittsburgh for Angel German and Oneil Cruz. —Acquired outfielder Curtis Granderson from the New York Mets for Jacob Rhame. Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 74-31, .705 Record after Aug. 1: 30-27, .526 2018 —Acquired shortstop Manny Machado from Baltimore for Rylan Bannon, Yusniel Diaz, Dean Kremer, Zach Pop and Breyvic Valera. —Acquired pitcher John Axford from Toronto for Corey Copping. —Acquired second baseman Brian Dozier from Minnesota for Logan Forsythe, Luke Raley and Devin Smeltzer. —Acquired infielder David Freese from Pittsburgh for Jesus Valdez. Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 59-49, .506 Record after Aug. 1: 33-22, .600 2019 —Acquired pitcher Adam Kolarek from Tampa Bay for Niko Hulsizer. —Acquired infielder Jedd Gyorko from St. Louis for Jeffry Abreu and Tony Cingrani. Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 71-39, .645 Record after Aug. 1: 35-17, .673 2020 Nothing significant. This was the 60-game COVID season. 2021 —Acquired pitcher Max Scherzer and shortstop Trea Turner from Washington for Gerardo Carrillo, Donovan Casey, Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz. —Acquired outfielder Billy McKinney from the New York Mets for Carlos Rincón. —Acquired pitcher Danny Duffy from Kansas City for Zach Willeman. Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 63-43, .594 Record after Aug. 1: 43-13, .768 2022 —Acquired pitcher Chris Martin from the Chicago Cubs for infielder-outfielder Zach McKinstry. —Acquired left fielder Joey Gallo from the New York Yankees for Clayton Beeter. Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 68-33, .673 Record after Aug. 1: 43-18, .705 2023 —Acquired Kiké Hernández from Boston for Justin Hagenman and Nick Robertson. —Acquired pitchers Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn from the Chicago White Sox for Jordan Leasure, Nick Nastrini and Trayce Thompson. —Acquired infielder Amed Rosario from Cleveland for Noah Syndergaard. —Acquired pitcher Ryan Yarbrough from Kansas City for Derlin Figueroa and Devin Mann. Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 59-45, .567 Record after Aug. 1: 41-17, .707 2024 —Acquired pitcher Jack Flaherty from Detroit for Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney. —As part of a three-team deal, acquired infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman from St. Louis, pitcher Michael Kopech from the Chicago White Sox for Alexander Albertus, Jeral Perez and Miguel Vargas. Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 63-46, .578 Record after Aug. 1: 35-18, .660 2025 Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 63-46, .578 Record after Aug. 1: ? A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Friday). Click on the player name to be taken to the baseball-reference page with all their stats. Batters Cody Bellinger, Yankees: .279/.330/.505, 436 plate appearances, 20 doubles, 5 triples, 20 homers, 65 RBIs, 129 OPS+ Michael Busch, Cubs: .269/.356/.510, 396 PA's, 15 doubles, 3 triples, 21homers, 61 RBIs, 149 OPS+ Hunter Feduccia, Rays: 0 for 3 Gavin Lux, Reds: .272/.358/.374, 355 PA's, 18 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 42 RBIs, 100 OPS+ Zach McKinstry, Tigers: .265/.347/.445, 376 PA's, 16 doubles, 8 triples, 9 homers, 37 RBIs, 119 OPS+ James Outman, Twins: in the minors Joc Pederson, Rangers, .129/.262/.223, 165 PA's, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 43 OPS+ Keibert Ruiz, Nationals, .280/.327/.363, 168 PA's, 7 doubles, 2 homers, 17 RBIs, 97 OPS+ Corey Seager, Rangers: .265/.372/.469, 347 PA's, 15 doubles, 15 homers, 38 RBIs, 143 OPS+ Chris Taylor, Angels: .189/.302/.396, 42 PA's, 4 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBIs, 83 OPS+ (numbers with Angels only) Justin Turner, Cubs: .211/.286/.297, 147 PA's, 5 doubles, 2 homers, 13 RBIs, 70 OPS+ Trea Turner, Phillies: .286/.339/.424, 487 PA's, 23 doubles, 3 triples, 11 homers, 45 RBIs, 108 OPS+ Miguel Vargas, White Sox: .229/.305/.402, 439 PA's, 25 doubles, 2 triples, 13 homers, 44 RBIs, 96 OPS+ Alex Verdugo, Braves: .239/.296/.289, 213 PA's, 10 doubles, 12 RBIs, 66 OPS+, released by Braves Pitching Walker Buehler, Red Sox: 6-6, 5.74 ERA, 94 IP, 106 hits, 44 walks, 71 K's, 71 ERA+ Jack Flaherty, Tigers: 6-10, 4.36 ERA, 115.2 IP, 98 hits, 47 walks, 144 K's, 94 ERA+ Kenley Jansen, Angels: 3-2, 2.93 ERA, 20 saves, 40 IP, 31 hits, 11 walks, 39 K's, 145 ERA+ Dustin May, Red Sox: has not pitched for Boston yet. Ryan Pepiot, Rays: 6-9, 3.80 ERA, 130.1 IP, 109 hits, 45 walks, 128 K's, 107 ERA+ Max Scherzer, Blue Jays: 2-1, 4.39 ERA, 41 IP, 35 hits, 8 walks, 44 K's, 95 ERA+ Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees: 3-1, 3.90 ERA, 55.1 IP, 48 hits, 17 walks, 49 K's, 104 ERA+ Monday: St. Louis (Sonny Gray, 10-5, 4.38 ERA) at Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 1-1, 3.38 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020 Tuesday: St. Louis (Miles Mikolas, 6-8, 4.83 ERA) at Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 2-2, 3.60 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020 Wednesday: St. Louis (*Matthew Liberatore, 6-9, 3.96 ERA) at Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 2.40 ERA) 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020 *-left-handed Dodgers welcome deadline additions, hopeful arrival 'raises the floor for our ballclub' Hernández: Dodgers look vulnerable, and Padres and rest of their competitors know it Plaschke: Andrew Friedman struck out on the Dodgers' urgent need for a closer Dodgers pass MLB trade deadline quietly, add Brock Stewart and Alex Call Game 2 of the 1978 World Series, Bob Welch vs. Reggie Jackson. Watch and listen here. Have a comment or something you'd like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
