Acquisitions help lead the Dodgers’ title chase

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Los Angeles Dodgers are two wins away from a World Series championship as they head to New York for Game 3 versus the Yankees.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes won the offseason and the trade deadline. They swung for the fences on some big-name players while also taking some shots at lesser-known commodities, and they did not miss.

“I think it’s just how cohesive and collaborative we are as a group. We’re not afraid to make mistakes,” said Friedman. “My ultimate, kind of big picture goal is that, when we are done, we’re able to look back and say that was the golden era of Dodger baseball.”

Four of the six major acquisitions for the Dodgers dazzled in their 4-2 win in game 2. Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up one hit in over six innings of work, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman both homered, and Michael Kopech pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning.

The other two are Shohei Ohtani, who had a quiet day and was also injured attempting to steal a base late in the game, and Jack Flaherty. It is no secret that Ohtani has been a massive success, and Flaherty is coming off a tone-setting Game 1 start.

The front office could not have been more perfect this year in adding talent to the team, and it is why they are in a great position to win the World Series.

The superstars Ohtani and Yamamoto were no-brainers, but they had to be willing to cough up over $1 billion to get them, and they have been worth the price of admission.

The Yankees were the other team in contention for Yamamoto, but they did not want to give him more than $300 million and make him higher paid than Gerrit Cole.

The Dodgers were willing to fork over the extra $25 million to seal the deal, and Yamamoto made New York pay regardless by making their lineup look pedestrian in the biggest game of the season.

“Yamamoto was made for those moments. He was doing it in Japan before he got here, and as soon as he got here, he was doing it here,” said Teoscar Hernandez. “We trust in him. Earlier today, I told him it was going to be a good night for him. He gave us a chance to score some runs. He put some zeros on the board, and we won the game.”

The smaller signings and trades have been just as fruitful.

Hernandez was already a well-respected hitter, but he set a career-high in home runs (33) and has become that player who always steps up in the clutch moments. He was the perfect addition to the middle of the lineup and has helped take pressure off the three former MVPs at the top.

Edman has been fantastic in the postseason, playing multiple premier positions in the field while leading the team in hits, RBIs, and steals. He was the MVP of the NLCS (National League Championship Series) and was acquired for very little in return.

“This is what you work for as a baseball player. You grind your whole life, take thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of swings of batting practice, just constantly working, working, working,” said Edman. “For it to kind of come through on this stage has been really special. Definitely has been a dream of mine for a while.”

The same trade that brought Edman also included Kopech, who has posted a 1.29 ERA this postseason after having a 1.13 ERA for the Dodgers in the regular season.

The last piece that was added to the puzzle just before the trade deadline was Flaherty, another player the Yankees decided to pass on at the last minute. New York was not comfortable with the results of his medical exam and decided not to pull the trigger, opening the door for Los Angeles to execute the trade.

Without Flaherty, the Dodgers would have struggled to put together a full starting rotation, and his services have been their saving grace with Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Gavin Stone all going down with injuries.

Los Angeles made all of the right moves while the Yankees dropped the ball on Yamamoto and Flaherty, and it has been the difference so far in this series.

With the next three games in New York, the Dodgers have nicely positioned themselves to win their first championship since 2020. Ohtani’s injury is concerning, but they are hopeful he will not miss too much time if any at all.

The Dodgers have been the better team so far, and a lot of the credit should be given to the front office for putting the pieces together.

Top Image Caption: LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 26: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during Game 2 of the 2024 World Series presented by Capital One between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, October 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)