Rebuilding the farm system while bolstering the big league roster through trades and another avenues has been a central theme for the Los Angeles Dodgers since Andrew Friedman took over as president of baseball operations in October 2014.
Of the trades Friedman has made thus far with Los Angeles, one that stands out is a three-team deal completed last December. In the trade with the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox, the Dodgers sent infielder Jose Peraza, outfielder Scott Schebler, and infielder Brandon Dixon to the Reds.
With the White Sox acquiring Todd Frazier from Cincinnati, the Dodgers received pitching prospect Frankie Montas, infielder Micah Johnson and outfielder Trayce Thompson from Chicago.
Of the bunch, Montas was considered the player with the most upside. Montas, who is currently working his way back from rib resection surgery in the offseason, is a physical 6-2, 185-pound right-hander who can touch 100 mph with his fastball.
The hard-throwing Montas adds extra depth to a farm system that already features a plethora of young, electric arms, and he’s likely to make join the Major League club this season. Meanwhile, to some surprise, the player in the deal who has made the most impact is Thompson.
An injury to Andre Ethier in Spring Training created an opportunity, which the 25-year-old Thompson has capitalized on. Emerging as a regular starter in the outfielder, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said recently he believes Thompson will make an All-Star team in his career, via J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group:
“Trayce fits in great. He can play all three outfield positions, he’s athletic, and continuing to get get better. He’s got a great relationship with the young players, being a young player, but also the veterans respect him and the way that he prepares. He’s really cleaned up his swing, not that it wasn’t great before, but it’s shorter. He’s done a much better job at taking balls off the plate and putting his ‘A’ swing on balls in the strike zone. For me, I think he’ll make an All-Star team.”
Thompson is batting .270/.333/.539 with seven doubles, eight home runs and 20 RBIs in 44 games while playing all three outfield positions. He enters play on Friday leading the Dodgers in slugging percentage (.539), on-base plus slugging (.872), is second with eight home runs, and fourth in batting average and on-base percentage.
The Dodgers may eventually face a difficult roster decision once Ethier and Scott Van Slyke both return from the disabled list, but for now Thompson is cemented himself as a mainstay in the lineup.
