By Grant Brisbee, Chad Jennings and Tim Britton
Los Angeles Dodgers get: UTIL Amed Rosario
Tampa Bay Rays get: RHP Michael Flynn
Grant Brisbee: The Dodgers traded for Amed Rosario because he knows where the bathrooms are. The wifi password is already saved on his phone. He’s aware that the PA at Dodger Stadium plays music at 183 decibels, and he hasn’t sued them yet. Yet. And he also happens to be hitting .307/.331/.417, which is pretty nifty for a utility infielder.
There are no surprises here. The Dodgers made the same move last trade deadline, and Rosario did exactly what he was expected to do: had an OPS between .650 and .750 and played sketchy defense at two different infield positions.
If there is a wrinkle, it’s that the Rays were using him in right field for the first time in his career, so it’s possible the Dodgers aren’t acquiring Rosario the infielder again, but trading for Rosario the outfielder for the first time. This would make more sense considering the Tommy Edman trade. When he’s healthy, he would likely be the top utility infielder, with Rosario being more of a jack-of-all-trades bat off the bench.
In return, the Rays got Mike Flynn, a 27-year-old right-hander with huge strikeout numbers in the minors, including a 12.4 K/9 in Triple A this year. This will be his fourth organization, but don’t be surprised if he’s suddenly a seventh-inning guy who gets traded for prospects in two years.
Dodgers: C+
Rays: C+
Chad Jennings: For a first-place team with overwhelming star power, the Dodgers sure have had trouble filling all the holes in their lineup. Their depth has been tested, and it’s mostly struggled to keep with key injuries and key underperformances. Little surprise, then, that the Dodgers spent Monday trading for two veterans who can play just about anywhere: first Tommy Edman from the Cardinals and now Rosario from the Rays.
Rosario has been an above-average hitter (114 OPS+) while playing at least 90 innings at second base, third base, shortstop and right field. In return, the Rays receive an upper-level reliever with terrific strikeout numbers. Flynn is 27 and has never cracked the big leagues. The Rays may very well turn him into an elite late-inning arm, but in a market that seems thin on middle infielders, it still feels like a light return.
Dodgers: B+
Rays: C+
Tim Britton: Rosario brings a roughly league-average bat and the ability to stand at several different positions. An elevated batting average on balls in play helps explain why this has been the best offensive season of Rosario’s career; nobody with as many plate appearances as Rosario has walked less frequently than he has. Defensively, once a highly touted shortstop, Rosario has played second, third, short and right this season, but none of them particularly well. (He rates negatively at all but second base, where he’s breaking even in outs above average.) All of this sounds damning, except that Rosario really does represent an upgrade over Enrique Hernández for Los Angeles — his OPS against lefties is 200 points higher than Hernández’s this season — and this move solidifies the Dodgers’ floor until they gets some of their stars back.
Flynn is a 27-year-old reliever on a minor-league deal striking out a bunch of guys in Triple A. He’s probably an org guy, except that he’s going to Tampa Bay, where there’s a nonzero chance he saves a handful of games and runs a 30 percent strikeout rate down the stretch. I think I’m kidding.
Dodgers: B
Rays: C
(Photo: Brett Davis / Getty Images)
