The Dodgers didn’t win the World Series in 2021, in fact, they didn’t even make it to the World Series, so was trading for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner the right move?
This trade reminds me of recruiting strategies Colleges use when filling out a roster. Let me explain! Beyond Scherzer being a future Hall of Famer, which is attractive enough, the Dodgers needed a starting pitcher, so they fulfilled a need. Including Turner in the deal was somewhat of a surprise but the Dodgers needed an outfielder. Wait…..what? Trea Turner is an infielder! Yes, but by him being able to play shortstop and 2nd base that allowed Chris Taylor to move back to the outfield which is what the Dodgers needed. So, Trea Turner filled a need too. Oh, and, well, Turner has been an Allstar, won a World Series and led the league in batting average this year, and led the league in Stolen bases in 2018. Not only did the Dodgers fill in their needs, but they also did it with Hall of Fame/All-Star talented players that have won a World Series.
I’m out of breath just typing all of that!
What did the Dodgers give up?
A BUNCH!
The Nats did very, very well in this trade. The headliners, of course, are Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray. I have the pleasure of covering OKC and Tulsa games each Summer, and have had a chance to watch the prospects the Dodgers gave up play dozens of games.
KEIBERT RUIZ (Headliner)
Keibert had a monster year in AAA in 2021 as he hit .310 with an OPS of .993. He also had 81 at-bats at the big league level and did well there too by hitting .281. Ruiz finally found his power stroke this year and also hit for average. The guy has become a really good player and having seen him several times and I think he will carve out a Major League career, but the Dodgers have Will Smith so that is all that needs to be said about that.
In total, I think this situation is a win/win for both clubs.
JOSIAH GRAY
Josiah is a young pitcher who is your typical high spin rate guy that works his fastball up in the zone and his off-speed stuff down in the zone.
Here’s a feature I did that includes a lot of what his game brings to the table.
I’m not going to sugarcoat this one….. Losing Josiah Gray hurts because the dude is legit and the Nats are getting a lot of return with this guy. But, he was not ready to be a starter for a World Series Champion run and Max Scherzer was. The Dodgers were in a position to win a World Title this year and so they needed a starting pitcher ready this year. Gray wasn’t that guy yet…..He might have become that guy, but the Dodgers had a virtually “sure thing” in Scherzer, so there was no need to take the chance. Plus, the Dodgers organization is absolutely loaded with pitching prospects that are close to getting to L.A.
Mitchell White, Ryan Pepiot, Andre Jackson, Michael Grove, Bobby Miller, Clayton Beeter, Landon Knack, Gus Varland, Gavin Stone, Robinson Ortiz, and about 11 other pitching prospects I’m probably forgetting are all power arms that will pitch in the Major Leagues and Aaron Wilkerson should have been the AAA West pitcher of the year. So giving up a “prospect” is something the Dodger organization could absorb, even if they lose Scherzer after this year.
So….again…this situation is a win/win too. The Dodgers got a Hall of Famer and the Nats got a big-time prospect.
DONOVAN CASEY
Does anyone remember Tim Locastro?
If you do, then you know everything you need to know about Casey. They are literally the exact same player. They look the same, they run the same they hit the same, all the same. Casey is going to be a Major League player and brings value to this trade for the Nats. They did their homework on this guy because he is not a Top 30 prospect in the Dodger organization, but, in my opinion, is a Major League caliber position player. But, again, it’s a loss that can be fairly easily absorbed. Between the AA Drillers, AAA OKC, and LA, the Dodgers have now 8 MLB caliber outfielders.
GERARDO CARILLO
Gerardo is a young man I’ve seen pitch both in Wichita and in Tulsa, both as a Driller obviously.
Carillo is the #17 overall prospect in the Dodger organization and sits at 93-95 and has hit 100 a time or 2 in his career as well. He mixes that in with an 87 mph slider and a high 70’s curveball, and his curveball might be the pitch he commands the best. So, losing this guy is a pretty big loss, but, again, with the depth the organization has in pitching, this loss can be absorbed.
Here’s a feature I did on the Drillers that has the breakdown of Carillo’s game
Okay….So let’s put a button on this
Let me say congratulations to the Nats because they absolutely did their homework and got a ton of value in this trade. They did NOT lose in this trade. In fact, they won in this trade, BUT….. so did the Dodgers. Ruiz, Gray, Casey, and Carillo will all be Major League players, and all, quite possibly, fairly high-level Major leaguers. So the Nats did very well.
But, as I said, the Dodgers won too. They got Max Scherzer (Hall of Famer) and Trea Turner (All-Star) This trade was a win/win. The Dodgers got all Star players at the positions they needed to fill and they gave up prospects in positions they could absorb.
Good stuff coach.
Thank you Zeb
Hope all is well