The 2023 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline is right around the corner (Aug. 1), and a very interesting trade went down on Wednesday night.
First, it was reported by several MLB insiders that the Los Angeles Dodgers were acquiring shortstop Amed Rosario from the Cleveland Guardians.
Source confirms: Dodgers in agreement with Guardians on a trade for Amed Rosario, pending review of medicals. First: @JeffPassan and @JesseRogersESPN
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 26, 2023
And then more details emerged to really make the trade an eye-opener.
New York Mets beat writer Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reported that pitcher Noah Syndergaard is the player going back to Guardians in the trade.
Source: Los Angeles Dodgers are sending Noah Syndergaard to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Amed Rosario
— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) July 26, 2023
It’s fitting that a Mets beat writer reported that news, because Syndergaard and Rosario were Mets teammates from 2017-20.
In those days, “Thor” was frequently one of the best pitchers in the National League, and he was selected to the All-Star Game in 2016. His fastball averaged 99.6 mph in 2016.
But in 2023, Syndergaard’s average fastball velocity is 92.8 mph, and he has a 7.16 ERA over 55 1/3 innings. The 30-year-old just doesn’t have the same physical abilities that he did in his Mets years. The Dodgers signed him to a one-year, $13 million over the offseason, after he had a 3.94 ERA over 134 2/3 innings pitched in 2022 (spent with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies).
Rosario, 27, is a former top-10 prospect in baseball. The Dodgers have been in need of a shortstop, but Rosario has been valued at a very rough -15 defensive runs saved and -16 outs above average over 88 games there for the Guardians in 2023. His main area to help the Dodgers will likely be vs left-handed pitching, where he’s put together .303/.345/.477 slash line this season.
This is a rare late July trade involving two potential playoff teams. The Dodgers lead the NL West with a 58-43 record, while the Guardians are two games back in the AL Central with a 51-51 record.
