Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman completed his third trade with the Tampa Bay Rays since he departed the organization in October 2014. Much like his first deal for Adam Liberatore and Joel Peralta, Friedman reunited with a player he holds in high regard in Logan Forsythe.
As Rays general manager, Friedman acquired Forsythe from the San Diego Padres as part of a seven-player trade in January 2014. The 30-year-old infielder was among multiple second basemen the Dodgers were connected to in recent months.
Along with Forsythe, the group was headlined by Ian Kinsler of the Detroit Tigers and Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins. Dozier emerged as the perceived favorite to be traded to the Dodgers, only for talks to reach an impasse earlier this month.
Although Dozier may have been the apple of the Dodgers’ eye, Friedman spoke highly of Forsythe, via Jon Weisman of Dodger Insider:
“We feel (Forsythe) will fit in incredibly well within the fabric of our group off the field, and on the field feel he’s a great fit in terms of the type of baseball player he is. He’s a grinder, a professional hitter, can really handle left-handed pitching as well as right and has some versatilty, is a good baserunner, and we felt like was the type of player we needed to be aggressive to go out and add to our current group.”
Beyond assembling a roster capable of competing for a World Series on an annual basis, plus a farm system capable of sustaining success year in and year out, Friedman has stressed the importance of developing a positive and tight-knit clubhouse culture.
His vision in essence was validated by Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner, who both mentioned it was among the reasons they had a strong desire to re-sign with the Dodgers.
Praise for Forsythe after Monday’s trade extended beyond Friedman, as Evan Longoria was one of multiple Rays who were outspoken over the significant void left by their former teammate.
