While relief help was the primary focus for the Los Angeles Dodgers heading into the final hours before the non-waiver trade deadline, the club would up further lengthening their lineup with the acquisition of Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins.
Dozier had long been connected to the Dodgers in trade rumors, first dating back to the 2016 offseason when the club extensively pursued him before acquiring Logan Forsythe at a much lesser prospect cost.
Ironically enough, Forsythe was part of the package headed back to Minnesota that netted Dozier this time around, along with fringe prospects Luke Raley and Devin Smeltzer.
Despite the 31-year-old seeing a drop-off in his production this season as opposed to the numbers he put up during his breakout campaign in 2016, Dozier represents a clear offensive upgrade at the second base position.
Specifically, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi conceded the trade for Dozier was completed with a focus on improving against left-handed pitching, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Our lineup against left-handers had been a concern of ours, particularly over the last month or two,” Zaidi said. “Knowing as you get later in the season and particularly in September when teams can really start game-planning and stacking their rotation a certain way, if they think you have a weakness against a certain side, bringing in another right-handed bat who has had success against lefties we think gives our lineup and our overall roster good depth.”
The Dodgers have struggled against southpaws this season, ranking 21st in wRC+ (90), 22nd in wOBA (.302), 23rd in on-base plus slugging percentage (.690) and 28th in batting average (.225).
Dozier should help in that department, as he has historically fared well against left-handed pitching despite actually faring better against right-handers in 2018. For his career, he is hitting .277/.356/.516 with 68 doubles and 48 home runs in 1,082 opportunities against opposite pitching.
