UPDATE (July 31, 2:00 p.m. PT): The Los Angeles Dodgers officially announced their trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, acquiring Jedd Gyorko, international cap space and cash considerations.
For much of the time leading up to the MLB trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers appeared to be focused on addressing an inconsistent bullpen. While that appeared to hold true, the Dodgers additionally were connected to Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard over the weekend.
That was short-lived, however, as the Toronto Blue Jays traded Stroman to the New York Mets, who subsequently removed Syndergaard from the market hours before the 1 p.m. PT deadline on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Dodgers made small moves to address depth issues on the position-player side.
The first was to acquire Tyler White from the Houston Astros in exchange for Minor League relief pitcher Andre Scrubb. The trade was influenced by David Freese needing to go on the 10-day injured list because of a left hamstring strain.
The Dodgers followed that up by trading for Kristopher Negrón in a deal with the Seattle Mariners. Now, L.A. has reportedly acquired Jedd Gyorko from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
#Dodgers acquiring Jedd Gyorko from #STLCards, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2019
This is a second minor trade completed between the Dodgers and Cardinals this month, with Zac Rosscup previously going to St. Louis in exchange for cash considerations.
Gyorko has a reputation as a steady defender and hitter, but has struggled at the plate this season. In just 38 games with the Cardinals, the 30-year-old batted .196/.274/.304 with two home runs and seven RBI.
Gyorko’s addition further bolsters depth in the wake of losing Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor to the 10-day IL. Though, Gyorko is not yet eligible to come off the 60-day injured list himself. He’s bee sidelined since June with a lower back strain, and began the year on the IL because of a calf strain.
Taylor was first to go down after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his left forearm. Hernandez was limited to playing the field and pinch-running last weekend because of a left hand injury. The Dodgers formally placed him on the injured list Monday, due to a left hand sprain. While the club has not provided details, Hernandez could be sidelined into September.
