Thursday, July 31, 2025

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2025

At the major league trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers were active, but they didn’t make a blockbuster trade, which some Dodger fans wanted to see.

But the Dodgers got what they needed to strengthen their team. Will these moves guarantee the Dodgers repeat as world champions?

No.  No trade will do that.

The Dodger front office did what they thought they needed to do.

The Dodgers re-acquired Brock Stewart from the Minnesota Twins for James Outman. Stewart was a reliever with the Twins. This year, he has a 2.38 ERA in 34 outings. In 39 appearances, he struck out 41 and walked 11. Since the Dodgers lost Evan Phillips to Tommy John surgery, they needed to have a right-handed reliever. They hope Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol will return to the bullpen in late August or September.

Outman was an integral part of the 2023 Dodgers. Since then, he has struggled offensively. While he was a satisfactory outfielder, he was not superb in center field. This year, Outman went 4-for-11 with two home runs on the major league level.

On Thursday, the Dodgers acquired outfielder Alex Call for two prospects. Call, a right-handed hitter, can play all three outfield positions. He has a  .274 batting average. It is believed that Call will platoon with Michael Conforto.

The Dodgers traded Hunter Feduccia to the Tampa Bay Rays for two relievers from the Rays and the Cincinnati Reds. Since Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes didn’t want to pay inflated prices for the high-leverage relievers and a minor league catching prospect. With the emergence of Dalton Rushing as a good backup catcher, Feduccia was expendable. Since the Dodgers have overused their bullpen, they are desperate for relievers. These minor league relievers might appear in Los Angeles soon.

Tanner Scott has a forearm injury, and nobody knows when he will return to the active roster. Kirby Yates has been unreliable. Anthony Banda, Alex Vesia, and Ben Casparius have been overused.

Also, on Thursday, the Dodgers traded Dustin May to the Boston Red Sox for two outfield prospects. May and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were the only starters from the Opening Day starting rotation. Coming off missing two seasons with a right elbow surgery and life-saving esophagus repair, May has been inconsistent this season. He will be a free agent this year. Since he has pitched more innings than at any time during his major league career, May needs rest.

Unlike many internet pundits, the Dodgers didn’t think May would be a good right-handed reliever. As a reliever, May would be required to warm up fast, and after two elbow injuries, it wouldn’t be a good idea for May to be a reliever.

With Blake Snell returning this Saturday, the Dodgers don’t have any room for May in their rotation. Emmet Sheehan has shown that he belongs in a major league rotation. Shohei Ohtani continues to build up as a starter even though he left early in his last start because of his right hip cramp. Roki Sasaki might return to the rotation. Tyler Glasnow has performed expertly since returning from the IL.

The trade deadline has come and gone. While the Dodgers didn’t make a flashy headline, they acquired what they needed to compete for their second consecutive world championship.