The Los Angeles Dodgers list of needs shifted almost daily entering Tuesday's trade deadline.
They managed to address all of them by executing four trades that put the Dodgers in a more favorable position to contend for a World Series in 2024.
They added the relief pitching and lineup help in their first major trade before the deadline. The Dodgers in a three-team deal added reliever Michael Kopech from the Chicago White Sox and utilityman Tommy Edman from the St. Louis Cardinals. LA sent outfielder Miguel Vargas, and infield prospects Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus to Chicago in the trade.
Kopech gives LA's shaky bullpen a reliable mid-to-late inning arm. Edman, once he's healthy, can play virtually every position defensively. He will also give the Dodgers the more reliable bat they've been searching for to drop into the bottom of their lineup.
The Dodgers on Monday in a second move acquired utility man Amed Rosario from the Tampa Bay Rays. It's the second consecutive year they've added him via a pre-deadline deal. This time he's in the midst of his best offensive season as a pro, and he'll offer more defensive versatility for manager Dave Roberts.
Before Tuesday's deadline, the Dodgers flipped left-handed reliever Ryan Yarbrough to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Kevin Kiermaier.
The Kiermaier acquisition may be strictly related to defense. He's in the throes of his worst offensive season as a pro, but even at 34 years old the four-time Gold Glove winner is still an excellent defender. This adds more lineup flexibility depending on how the Dodgers' infield health shapes up. Kiermaier could take on a larger outfield role if Edman and Rosario stay on the infield.
LA looked to be done as the 3:00 pm Pacific Time deadline neared. Then they made perhaps their most significant addition. The Dodgers dealt a pair of prospects to the Detroit Tigers for starting pitcher Jack Flaherty.
Flaherty was the final box the Dodgers needed to check. They'd added much-needed bullpen help and lineup depth, but their starting rotation still needed top-end help. Flaherty should provide it.
Suddenly LA's rotation for the playoffs looks more formidable with Flaherty joining Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone. Flaherty this season has a 2.95 ERA, which is his lowest mark since he was a Cy Young candidate in 2019. All of his peripheral numbers are trending the same way. He is a bonafide top-of-the-rotation starter this year.
The Dodgers have boosted their pitching rotation. The problem now is they can't provide any additional certainty.
Glasnow is just 6.0 innings short of his MLB career-high in innings. Stone is 14.0 shy of his career-high at any level. It's also unclear whether Yoshinobu Yamamoto will return in 2024 from a strained rotator cuff.
The Flaherty acquisition helps LA in its pursuit of a World Series. It would've been hard to be optimistic about the Dodgers' chances without that trade. However, they still need a few more things to go their way with so much uncertainty lingering.
More MLB: MLB trade grades 2024: Complete analysis for every deal completed on deadline day
