Photo Credit: nbcsports.com
The Dodgers made a last-minute trade prior to the start of Spring Training which saw relief pitcher Adam Kolarek and Cody Thomas to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Sheldon Neuse and Gus Varland.
While on the surface, this trade looks like a small trade that could benefit the Dodgers in the future if Varland finishes developing and Neuse can remain an average hitter at the big league level. This trade works wonder for the Dodgers as Andrew Friedman continues to make these types of moves that pluck prospects from other teams. While Kolarek will be mostly used as a situational type of pitcher that only sees left-handed hitters, the Dodgers gain two developmental pieces that could work wonders for the team in the future.
Of course, the 2020 season was not normal at all and neither was it for both of the pieces the Dodgers got in return. Neuse spent time at Oakland’s alternate site for the 2020 season, so we’ll use the 2019 stats that he racked up in a majority of the minor leagues. In 126 games, Nuese slashed .317/.389/.550 while also displaying some power with 27 home runs and 102 RBIs. In an article by Jim Bowden of The Athletic, he mentions Neuse as a player to look out for at the start of the 2021 season, who can bounce between multiple positions which include second base, shortstop, and third base and field proficiently. If he can hit as he did in the minor leagues and find his power stroke, then the Dodgers struck gold in getting this versatile right-handed bat.
Varland is a different story compared to Neuse, as he’s more looked at as pitching depth for the future due to his short workload. According to another article by The Athletic, Varland was a pitcher with strong potential before he had to get Tommy John Surgery in 2019. He was able to gain his velocity back and was able to be one of the most impressive pitchers in the A’s system in the Fall Instructional League. He has a good three-pitch mix that includes a fastball that has a good spin rate, a wipeout slider, and is developing a changeup. The A’s were developing him as a starting pitcher, but could be used in the bullpen as well, the Dodgers may continue to try developing him as a starter and it could pay off for them, just as when they got Josiah Gray from the Reds.
Speaking of the Gray trade, while casually scrolling through Twitter, I found this tweet by Senior Writer for FanGraphs, Dan Szymborski.
Dear teams,
If you want to topple the Dodgers, don't give them prospects for their role players. Find your own role players and keep the prospects!
Thanks,
Dan
— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) February 12, 2021
This tweet simply explains one of the reasons why the Dodgers keep pumping out talent as the Dodgers keep collecting prospects from teams in other systems. While it’s true that other teams are giving up prospects for role players, it’s worth noting that the A’s probably couldn’t care less that they are helping the Dodgers get their system stronger. They are in two separate leagues and will more than likely not match up too many times to have any one of these players make an impact against the other team.
Still, these types of trades are the reason why the Dodgers are so successful and why adding depth to already stacked systems isn’t a bad thing at all. As long as teams are willing to let go of prospects they feel they can afford to lose, then the Dodgers will go calling about giving up role players that won’t make a massive difference to the Dodgers system. They will keep reloading and firing away as teams neglect farm system depth in efforts to win right now, and meanwhile, the Dodgers will be right there with them, just with their prospects.
Jacob Cisneros is a writer for Dodgers-LowDown. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @_JacobCisneros.Â