Two years after they targeted him, but settled for Tampa Bay’s Logan Forsythe instead, the Los Angeles Dodgers have their man.
According to a report from Dan Hayes and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Dodgers have acquired Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN has confirmed the deal:
Dozier has been in the big leagues with the Twins for seven seasons, hitting .248/.325/.447 with 167 home runs. He was a first-time Gold Glover in 2017, an All-Star in 2015 and has made an appearance on MVP ballots in each of the last three seasons.
He’s having a bit of a down year this year, as he’s hitting just .224/.305/.402 through 104 games and 462 plate appearances.
Dozier is in the final year of the four-year, $20 million deal signed prior to the 2015 season.
UPDATE 1:
The return is reportedly second baseman Forsythe, 1B/OF Luke Raley and right-handed pitcher Devin Smeltzer.
Forsythe, 31, is a free agent at the end of the year, and he’ll fill in at second base in the interim. He’s been a colossal bust ever since the Dodgers traded RHP Jose De Leon to the Rays for him, hitting just .218/.325/.314 over the last two years, including just .207/.270/.290 in 70 games this year.
He does have a little more versatility than Dozier defensively, as he’s played every infield position as well as left field over the last two seasons.
Raley is the Dodgers’ No. 19 prospect according to MLB.com, but doesn’t have any tools above 55 (arm/field). He’s a left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower, and can play all over the outfield in addition to at first base. According to MLB.com, “Club officials praise his grinder attitude and believe he’ll get the most out of his ability.”
Raley has already set a career high with 17 home runs in 93 games this season — previous high was 14 in 123 games — and he’s hitting .275/.345/.477 with 105 strikeouts and 24 walks so far this season at Double-A Tulsa.
Smeltzer is not among the Dodgers’ top-30 prospects, and he has a 4.73 ERA at Double-A Tulsa this season. He fanned more than a batter per inning the last two seasons in lower levels, but has 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings this year over 83.2 innings.
Smeltzer turns 23 in September, and is a lanky lefty — 6-foot-3, 195 pounds — and is a cancer survivor. According to his Baseball America draft report, he has “long endeared himself to scouts with his never-say-never attitude and work ethic.”
Smeltzer works in the high-80s with his fastball, and he also has a very, very good changeup. In Fangraphs’ top prospects for the Dodgers after the 2016 season, Eric Longenhagen called Smeltzer a “funky upper-80s fastball with feel for locating slider. LOOGY type.”
Here’s a wonderful story on Smeltzer meeting Chase Utley, his hero as a kid.
Stay tuned for updates as more details become available.
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