A Tour Through the Dodgers Lab
Lance Lynn of the L.A. Dodgers (MLB.com)
Lance Lynn had the worst ERA in baseball when Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers traded for him. Since then, he has a 1.80 ERA in four starts and recently threw a quality start against their rival, the San Diego Padres. Lynn is the latest example of alchemy in the Dodgers organization, with several others like him making key contributions this season. His trade buddy Joe Kelly also made four appearances for the Dodgers and has not given up a run yet. Earlier this year, reliever Ryan Brasier was so atrocious for the Red Sox they had to cut him despite needing bullpen depth (7.29 ERA). Since the Dodgers picked him up on a minor league deal, he’s become a fixture in the bullpen with a 1.03 ERA in 25 appearances. The Dodgers also got long reliever Ryan Yarbrough from the Royals for minor leaguers Devin Mann and Derlin Figueora. Yarbrough can start or come in the bullpen and can eat major innings if a starter gets rocked or injured. He’s already thrown 15 ⅓ innings, sporting a 2.35 ERA and only walking one hitter since being dealt. For little to nothing, the Dodgers picked up three relievers and a starter who are now making significant contributions to the major league club.
The Dodgers have a stud offense with MVP candidates Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman at the top of the lineup. A few injuries up the middle prompted them to trade for both Kike Hernandez and Amed Rosario at the trade deadline. At the time of the trade, Kike was one of the worst players in baseball by fWAR and had serious problems manning shortstop for the Red Sox. Since the deal, Hernandez is hitting .296 with a 128 wRC+ and offers major versatility due to his ability to play in the infield and outfield. Rosario was hitting .265 for the Guardians when traded, but his defense was costing them games. They figured they could flip him for Syndergaard because they needed someone to eat innings. Since the deal, Amed has hit only .231, but he’s flashed unlikely power via a .231 ISO in 21 games.
Keep in mind, all of these guys were acquired throughout the summer. When you turn back the clock to the offseason, the list is even longer. On December 1st, 2022, the Dodgers signed former Cardinal Shelby Miller to a minor league pact. Back in 2015, Shelby made the All Star team and finished the year with a 3.02 over 33 starts. Over the next several years, he struggled to stay healthy and put up horrible numbers when he did pitch (7.02 ERA from 2016-2022 in over 200 innings). So far this season, he has a 2.40 ERA in 25 relief appearances, with an opponent batting average of .120. He is facing some possible negative regression in the future with a 4.27 xERA, but even that is a massive improvement over what we’ve seen from him in the last several seasons. From 2021-2022, Jason Heyward hit at a .211/.280/.326, poor enough for Jed Hoyer and the Cubs to cut bait despite the remaining dollars owed to Jason. Heyward then signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers back in December and hasn’t looked back, hitting .247/.337/.452 in 95 games. He also posted a solid +5 OAA in right field this year as well, contributing to a 1.5fWAR in 2023.
The Dodgers have won the NL West already and are an MLB best 19-3 in August, with major contributions from various reclamation projects. This allows them to maintain their 10 farm system, while constructing a team that can make a deep postseason run. There are some questions about the bottom of the lineup, but there are no longer doubts on their bullpen (2.50 ERA is 1st since the break) or the rotation thanks to the addition of Lance Lynn and the emergence of rookie Bobby Miller. These different cheap pickups keep the payroll down and the luxury tax bill as well. LAD are paying $14.23M in luxury taxes this season due to their payroll being a shade under $260M. Still, the team is incredibly well balanced with few weaknesses because of the moves made back in December and August. A guy like Kike Hernandez can play five or six different positions, while someone like Ryan Yarbrough can start or come in relief and prevent a large tax on the rest of the relievers. We’ve written previously about the prowess of Mike Elias, but Andrew Friedman is perhaps the best blueprint of how to run a large market, high payroll organization making a push for a championship.
*Stats are as of 8/25/23