Shortly after the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a three-team trade with the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins last week, a secondary deal was struck with the L.A. Angels.
That trade called for the Dodgers to send Joc Pederson, Ross Stripling and prospect Andy Pages to Anaheim in exchange for Luis Rengifo and one or two Minor League players. The agreed-upon trade helped the Dodgers alleviate a logjam in the outfield and remain under the luxury tax threshold.
However, it was also contingent on the Dodgers first completing their blockbuster with the Red Sox and Twins. As that reached a snag due to the Red Sox raising issue after reviewing Brusdar Graterol’s medicals, the wait for the Dodgers and Angels to finalize their trade lingered on.
By the weekend, owner Arte Moreno reportedly began to grow frustrated with the delay. And after the Dodgers agreed to separate trades with the Red Sox and Twins, their deal with the Angels fell through.
According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Moreno decided to pull the Angels from the trade, but the Dodgers additionally weren’t compelled to keep it alive:
Angels owner Arte Moreno and his club were left waiting on a trade it had no part in. Ultimately, his patience wouldn’t last through the weekend.
Moreno ordered the Angels to pull out of the agreement with the Dodgers, sources told The Athletic. The Dodgers could have given the Angels a chance to rethink their decision, but they viewed the previously agreed upon Angels deal as unnecessary after the trades with Boston and Minnesota changed, effectively killing the trade themselves.
Despite the trade falling through, it’s believed Pederson is still being shopped. He does represent excess depth in the outfield as a platoon player and even though the Dodgers were successful in their arbitration hearing, moving Pederson’s $7.75 million salary would be significant if the club is intent on avoiding the luxury tax.
The same could be said for Stripling, who avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract late last year. Price’s addition further bolsters the Dodgers’ starting pitching depth, and some of those candidates may wind up in the bullpen — further putting a squeeze on Stripling.
Of course, the Dodgers have heavily relied on their surplus of pitchers over the past few seasons and Stripling’s versatility has been a key component to that.
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