Even after trading Kike Hernandez on Tuesday, the Dodgers said they aren’t done trying to add a bat.
As it turned out, he barely waited 24 hours to get another one. On Wednesday, the Dodgers acquired pitcher Noah Syndergaard and shortstop Amed Rosario from the Cleveland Guardians for cash consideration.
It’s a low-cost trade and potentially the other way around for the Dodgers, giving them another platoon option on the right side of the plate. A seven-year veteran who will be a free agent after this season, Rosario hit .265 for Cleveland this year, with three home runs, 40 RBIs, and a below-league average of .675 on-base plus slugging percentage.
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However, the 27-year-old has been better against left-handed pitching, though, with a .303 batting average and a .822 OPS. He’s been hot lately this month, hitting .291 with a .749 OPS in 20 games. Where Rosario will play defense is a question mark. After being one of the lowest-rated shortstops in the majors this year, a position the Dodgers have already filled with Miguel Rojas, Rosario, with previous professional experience at third base and the outfield, is likely to play elsewhere.
However, manager Dave Roberts was optimistic after the Dodgers’ 8-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.
“I know he’s a great player,” Roberts said before finalizing the trade.
Syndergaard was one of the Dodgers’ big signings this offseason, and an additional $13 million is expected to fill out the rotation. The once-hard worker never found success with the club, however, posting a 7.16 ERA in 12 games before going on the disabled list in late June.
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Officially, Syndergaard’s IL tenure was due to a blister on his finger that plagued him repeatedly throughout the year. In reality, though, the Dodgers were trying to find an escape route for the right-hander, sending him on a rehab assignment while they evaluated his prospects on the trade market.
Though it seemed like a long shot at first, the Dodgers found a willing partner in the second-place Guardians team, who traded an underperforming arm that was again his biggest hit for a weak bat, which could have benefited from a fresh start.
Like Hernández, Rosario is stuck in one of the worst seasons of his career. Nothing is likely to move the needle much for a Dodgers team that already has one of the best offenses in MLB. But between these two, the team is hoping to get some potentially valuable platoon production late in the season, wasting little time checking one of its many trade deadline boxes, respectively.
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