The Los Angeles Dodgers were busy before the 2022 MLB trade deadline, even if they weren’t able to pull off a blockbuster move for one of the top names available.
The team made five trades in total, with the most notable being a deal to acquire Joey Gallo from the New York Yankees for pitching prospect Clayton Beeter.
Additionally, L.A. sent utilityman Zach McKinstry to the Chicago Cubs for reliever Chris Martin, Garrett Cleavinger to the Tampa Bay Rays for outfield prospect German Tapia, Jake Lamb to the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations or a player to be named later, and Mitch White and Minor League infielder Alex De Jesus to the Toronto Blue Jays for a pair of Minor League pitchers.
Despite their lack of a big move, the Dodgers have reason to be confident. They are still expecting to get Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Blake Treinen, Tommy Kahnle, Brusdar Graterol, Danny Duffy and Victor González back, along with Chris Taylor and Edwin Ríos.
The Dodgers also were able to keep all of their prospects, including the ones who could make an impact down the stretch, such as Miguel Vargas, Michael Busch and Ryan Pepiot.
The Dodgers were, however, connected to many players, most of whom did end up changing teams.
Juan Soto traded to San Diego Padres
The Dodgers were reportedly gaining optimism they could get a deal done with the Washington Nationals for Juan Soto, but he ultimately landed with the San Diego Padres, along with Josh Bell.
In return, the Nationals acquired left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore and Luke Votin from the Padres’ Major League roster and multiple top prospects, including C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III and James Wood, and Jarlin Susana.
Brandon Drury traded to Padres
The Padres also added to their lineup with Brandon Drury from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for prospect Victor Acosta. The Dodgers had checked in on the versatile right-handed hitter who is in the midst of a breakout year. He is set to reach free agency following the season.
Luis Castillo traded to Mariners
The Mariners made the first big move of the trading season by making a deal with the Reds for Luis Castillo, beating out the Dodgers and other interested clubs. The Reds received a haul of prospects in Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore.
Antony Bass traded to Blue Jays
The Dodgers were connected to a trio of Miami Marlins players, but the only one who was traded was Anthony Bass, who the Blue Jays acquired along with Zach Pop for prospect Jordan Groshans.
While Groshans was once considered an elite prospect, he has fallen in the rankings in recent years.
Whit Merrifield traded to Blue Jays
The Blue Jays also pulled off a deal for Whit Merrifield from the Kansas City Royals for prospects Samad Taylor and Max Castillo. The Dodgers’ interest in Merrifield never made much sense from the beginning as he has been having a down year and doesn’t have a clear fit on the roster.
David Robertson traded to Phillies
The Dodgers also expressed some interest in David Robertson from the Cubs, but he was traded to the Phillies for Ben Brown. Robertson would have filled in nicely at the back of the Dodgers bullpen, but it would have become awfully crowded as their other pitchers begin to return.
Andrew Benintendi traded to Yankees
The Royals traded outfielder Andrew Benintendi to the Yankees in exchange for prospects Chandler Champlain, T.J. Sikkema and Beck Way, but not before the Dodgers looked into him as a potential option.
Shohei Ohtani remained with Angels
It was always a long shot for the Dodgers, or any team, to acquire Shohei Ohtani, and that proved to be true as he is staying with the Los Angeles Angels.
However, the Angels did decide to sell by trading Noah Syndergaard and Brandon Marsh to the Philadelphia Phillies along with Raisel Iglesias to the Atlanta Braves.
Pablo López, Garrett Cooper remained with Marlins
López was gaining some steam as one of the Dodgers’ top targets, but he ultimately stayed in Miami despite multiple teams making a push. They also expressed interest in Garrett Cooper, but the Marlins also opted to hang onto their first-time All-Star.
Ian Happ remained with Cubs
Ian Happ was also considered a popular fallback option for the teams who missed out on Soto, and while the Dodgers showed interest in the switch-hitting outfielder, he stayed in Chicago and still has a year remaining on his contract.
David Peralta traded to Rays
The Dodgers looked into David Peralta, but their reported interest did not surface until after he was traded to the Rays.
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