Even after trading for Kiké Hernández on Tuesday, the Dodgers said they weren’t necessarily done trying to add a bat.
As it turns out, they waited barely 24 hours to go get another.
According to multiple people with knowledge of the situation who were unauthorized to speak publicly, the Dodgers reached an agreement Wednesday with the Cleveland Guardians to acquire shortstop Amed Rosario in exchange for embattled pitcher Noah Sydnergaard, pending medical examinations.
It’s a low-cost, potential-upside trade for the Dodgers, who have been trying to round out their platoon options on the right side of the plate.
A seven-year veteran who will be a free agent after this season, Rosario is batting .265 for Cleveland this season with three home runs, 40 RBIs and a below-league-average .675 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
The 27-year-old, however, has been better against left-handed pitching, with a .303 average and .822 OPS.
He has also been league-average or better at the plate in three of the last four seasons, accumulating a .273 batting average over his career.
Immediately after the Dodgers’ 8-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon, manager Dave Roberts said he was unsure if the trade, which was first reported by ESPN, had been finalized yet, but called Rosario “a heck of a ballplayer.”
With Syndergaard going out the door, Rosario is also being acquired for virtually no cost.
Syndergaard had been one of the Dodgers’ bigger signings this offseason, a $13-million addition expected to round out the rotation. The once hard-throwing phenom never found success with the club, posting a 7.16 ERA in 12 starts before going on the injured list in late June.
Officially, Syndergaard’s IL stint was for a finger blister that had bothered him off and on throughout the year. Really, though, the Dodgers were trying to find an escape hatch for the right-hander, sending him out on a rehabilitation assignment while evaluating his prospects on the trade market.
In the Guardians, the Dodgers found a willing partner, swapping an underperforming arm for an underwhelming bat.
Like Hernández, Rosario has struggled this season.
But between both of them, the Dodgers are hoping to get potentially valuable late-season production, wasting little time to get their deadline activities started.
“For the most part, teams are less apt to trade before that 11th hour,” Roberts said. “So it’s unique, and I think it’s great. Because all these games matter. So if there’s a player we identify that can help us win now, I applaud that.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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