Scherzer, Turner, Duffy all headed for LA

LOS ANGELES — In perhaps the biggest trade deadline in the history of franchise, your Los Angeles Dodgers just got a whole lot better in the last twenty-four hours. It cost the team some nice prospects, but they are in a much better position to repeat as World Series Champs than they were when they slunk out of San Francisco on Thursday afternoon. In deals announced on Friday, the Dodgers acquired All-Stars Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Washington Nationals, and in a separate deal got starter Danny Duffy from the Kansas City Royals. Let’s look at each player, and consider their potential impact on the Dodgers’ lineup.

First things first. This deal with the Nationals did not come cheap. In order to acquire Scherzer and Turner, the Dodgers had to give up four good ballplayers. Of course, the key elements of the deal as far as Dodger fans are concerned are starting pitcher Josiah Gray and catcher Keibert Ruiz. Gray has recently made his big-league debut and seems to have real hit-and-miss stuff. Ruiz has been raking all year at Oklahoma City. In addition to those two players, two lesser-known prospect were thrown in as well: pitcher Gerardo Carillo and outfielder Donavan Casey. Both Carillo had been at Tulsa this year, and are not yet major-league ready. However, you got to give to get, and four prospects seems to be about right for the haul the Dodgers are getting in return.

Max Scherzer

Maybe Dave Roberts knew a little something when he chose 37-year-old Max Scherzer to start this year’s All-Star game. He is a guy whose resume speaks for itself. Three Cy Youngs. 183 wins. Almost 3,000 strikeouts. A lifetime WHIP of 1.09. But this is no nostalgia act. Scherzer is still among the game’s best pitchers. This season he is 8-4 with a 2.76 ERA over 19 starts and 111 innings of work.

A fierce competitor, Scherzer doesn’t back down to anybody, and has proven himself to be a clutch arm in a big spot. During the Nats’ 2019 World Series run, Scherzer was 3-0 with a 2.40 ERA. Coming from the right side, he will be a good addition to this rotation, which Roberts can set up for the playoffs as Buehler, Kershaw, Scherzer, Urias, with Gonsolin and Price on call. I’m guess that this move also suggests that Trevor Bauer has thrown his last pitch of 2021.

Trea Turner

Unlike the rental Scherzer, Trea Turner comes with an extra year of control on his contract, meaning that the Dodgers will be well stocked in the infield in 2022. Quite simply, Turner quietly plays MVP-level baseball and has for a while. His defense is elite, he’s got great speed on the bases, and he hits for both power and average. In his last 30 games, Turner is hitting .367 with an OPS north of 1.000. And his 18 home runs for the year already put him among the Dodgers’ leaders.

Of course, the question is going to be what to do with him in the field. Corey Seager certainly figures to be back at some point, and one would imagine the shortstop position is his. Turner has played second base at times in his career, and he did come up as a centerfielder early on, so there is some flexibility there. We’ll see what Roberts does with the problem once Seager returns to the lineup. Small downside with Turner is that he’s recently tested positive for Covid-19, so we’re going to have to wait a bit for his Dodger debut while he sits out through the protocols.

Danny Duffy

Though this is the one move that got overshadowed by the big splash with the Nats, I really like this Danny Duffy deal. The Dodgers basically got him for nothing (cash and a player to be named later), and they got a very good pitcher out of the deal. After some mediocre years with the Royals, Duffy is putting together a very solid 2021. He is 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA this year. The left-hander relies on a five-pitch mix that is dominated by his four-seamer, which he throws 43.4 percent of the time. This season, Duffy’s most effective pitches have been the slider and changeup, limiting hitters to a .188 and .194 average, respectively.

Problem is that he is having a problem staying on the field this year, having gone on the IL twice with a flexor strain issue. In fact, that is where he is right now. Only time will tell when he can get back into playing condition and be ready to throw again. However, if he does return within the next few weeks, he could be a Jimmy Nelson-style piece out of the bullpen or a spot starter going into the homestretch of the season.

So there you have it. The trade deadline has come and gone, and now the teams are going to have to win or lose with what they got. Both the Dodgers’ NL West rivals, added as well, so there will be plenty to look at in the next two months. However, at first glance, it looks like the Dodgers are the winners of the day.

Now all they have to do is win on the field.