The 2023 trade deadline is approaching fast! The last day a team can make a trade for the 2023 stretch run and postseason arrives on Tuesday, August 1st at 6 PM Eastern time. However, several teams are not waiting to make some moves. One of the most notable teams is the Los Angeles Dodgers. As of this writing, the Dodgers have acquired four players, two of them pitchers. This fantasy baseball Dodger trades takes a look at those players, how they will affect a fantasy roster and what a manager should do about it.

As with all of my articles, debate and discussion are strongly encouraged. Let me hear what you have to say! With all of that out of the way, let’s get to it!

New Dodger Pitchers

Lance Lynn, Starter

First, let’s take a look at most notable player the Dodgers traded for, Lance Lynn. Without question, Lynn is most known for what he’s done in the past, not this season. At the time of the trade, Lynn was producing his worst year as a major leaguer. His 6.47 ERA is nearly three runs higher than his career norm (3.71). With a 6-9 record, Lynn is in danger of posting his first losing season EVER.

Adding insult to injury, his WHIP (1.462), H9 (9.8) and HR9 (2.1) are all career worsts. Further, Lynn is walking too many batters as his 3.4 BB9 is his highest since 2018. Even more frustrating for everyone involved, in his last three starts, Lynn has allowed 17 earned runs in 16.2 innings.

With such bad numbers, the question is why did the Dodgers make this move? It’s simple, really. Despite being in first place in the NL West, Dodger starting pitchers haven’t delivered this season. Their starter team ERA is 22nd in baseball. If Los Angeles wants to go far in the postseason, they have to get better pitching from their rotation. Getting Kershaw back from injury, will help, of course, but he can’t solve all of their problems.

Before this season, Lynn was one of the better starters in all of baseball. His ERA over the past four years is excellent at 3.41. He averages a strikeout per inning in his career and his K9 has been over 10.1 three times in the past five years. Obviously, the Dodgers believe they can straighten out Lynn and get him back to the pitcher that he’s been over his long career.

Lynn’s Fantasy Bottom Line

Any manager that has endured with Lynn on the roster has to be very happy because of this trade. Some many have cut him loose, but those that didn’t now have two options in front of them. Of course, the simplest option is to do nothing and see what Lynn does down the stretch and into the fantasy playoffs. However, a bolder option does exist. In my opinion, Lynn is now a sell high candidate.

If a fellow manager is looking for pitching (and who isn’t) and has a player you like on their roster, a deal could be worked out. In trade discussions, emphasize how good Lynn has been in his career (he’s finished in the top six for the Cy Young Award three times). Additionally, the Dodgers, in their history, are excellent at producing quality pitching. Hopefully, an agreement can be reached.

For those in leagues where Lynn was dropped and still on the waiver wire (unlikely, I know), waste no time in picking him up. In whatever way it happens, if Lynn is on the roster, just don’t expect that he will become the new Sandy Koufax. He will deliver better numbers (both real and fantasy wise) than he did on the White Sox. There is no doubt about that. However, be aware that he is not the pitcher he once was. Lynn will deliver solid numbers, but he is no ace.

Joe Kelly, Relief Pitcher

Unlike Lynn above, the evaluation of the other pitcher involved in the trade, Joe Kelly, won’t take nearly as long on this fantasy baseball Dodger trades edition. In fact, given Kelly’s 4.97 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, there is zero reason to roster Kelly on any fantasy team, regardless of size. Even more ominous, Kelly has a stratospheric 9.00 ERA and 3.00 WHIP in July and has only made four appearances the entire month.

It is a big unknown how the Dodgers plan to use Kelly going forward. They hope to turn him back into the pitcher he was for them in 2021 when he had a 2.86 ERA, a 0.977 WHIP and an outstanding 12.9 K9. However, that season seems a long way off, as Kelly had an eyesore of an ERA (6.08) last year. Kelly only has an ESPN roster percentage of 0.3. Unless and until he produces solid numbers in a significant bullpen role, Kelly needs to remain just where he is: the waiver jungle.

New Dodger Position Players

Enrique Hernandez, 2B/SS/OF

Like Kelly, Enrique Hernández is a former Dodger that Los Angeles decided to bring back to the team. There was much excitement surrounding his return, which is surprising given Hernandez’s season so far. Prior to the trade, Hernandez appeared in 86 games for Boston, hitting a lowly .222 with just six homers and 31 RBIs. His slash line was also dismal: .279/.320/.599. Obviously, not much to like here, either in real life or fantasy.

Since joining the roster, the Dodgers have had Hernandez in the lineup his first two games played. The results were better: 3-6. However, don’t expect that to be the standard going forward or that Hernandez will be in the starting lineup every day. Hernandez is a right-handed hitter, just like Chris Taylor, Miguel Rojas and the newly acquired Amed Rosario.

Obviously, all four can’t play at the same time. Someone is going to have to sit, even though Hernandez and Taylor can play multiple positions. In fact, Rojas replaced Hernandez in Friday’s game against the Reds after two at bats. Rojas has no fantasy value and Taylor’s just took a major hit, if he ever had any this season. Even so, Hernandez will have to prove with his bat that he belongs on a fantasy roster for anything other than streaming purposes.

Hernandez’ Fantasy Bottom Line

As he will play many of his games on the West Coast, by the time you learn that he is in the starting lineup, it will be far too late to make a move on him from the waiver wire. Further, Hernandez leads all major leaguers in errors this season, which means he may be pulled late in games. As he is currently 6.7 percent rostered, there is no rush to add Hernandez.

Amed Rosario, Shortstop

The last player to discuss on this fantasy baseball Dodger trades edition is Amed Rosario. Fantasy managers can expect that Rosario will be in the starting lineup on a daily basis. At the time of the trade, Rosario was hitting .265-3-40 with a .306/.369/.675 slash line in 94 games. His six triples are third in baseball. That last stat is not surprising, as Rosario led the majors with nine triples in 2022.

The Dodgers are hoping for a return to last season for Rosario, as he hit .283-11-71 with 86 runs scored. Certainly, it seems that he is heating up at the plate with six hits in his last three games, including three doubles and a triple. In his first game as a Dodger, Rosario had two hits with an RBI and a run scored. His BAbip, SO%, BB% and HardH% are virtually identical this season to last year.

Perhaps a new location will deliver better luck for Rosario and his fantasy managers coming down the stretch. That is exactly what happened in 2022. In the last 12 games in August, Rosario had hits in nine. When September arrived, he was even hotter: in 29 games, he had hits in 24, including eight with two hits or more.

Rosario’s Bottom Line

Unlike Hernandez, Rosario will be in the Dodgers’ starting lineup on a daily basis. Fantasy managers will have no concerns in that area, even though Rosario isn’t a great defender, either. He is just below the 50 percent roster ratio in ESPN leagues, meaning that he most likely isn’t available in many places. Even though shortstop is a deep position this season, if Rosario is found on the waiver wire, picking him up would be a wise move. The Dodger offense is one of the best in the league and Rosario will have more opportunities to score and drive in runs than he did for the Guardians.

If he is already on the roster, expect better fantasy results from Rosario than he provided in Cleveland. If he can come close to the stats he produced in the last six weeks of 2022, his presence will be a major boost to any fantasy roster. If Rosario is not on the roster and not on the wire, seriously consider making an offer to acquire him.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball Dodger trades edition! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Let’s discuss! Follow me on Twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!

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