World Series 2018: How the Dodgers built their champions' lineup through trades, free agencies and the draft

For the second consecutive season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are champions of the National League. They sent the leading Brewers in seven games in the NLCS. The Dodgers now have four wins to win their first title since 1988. This is the eleventh longest drought in the World Series in baseball.

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Like all teams, the Dodgers were assembled using different methods. No team is made up exclusively of draft, trades or free will. This is not possible. Successful teams acquire talents in every way possible. Here is the breakdown of the Los Angeles War 2018 via the baseball gauge:

• professions: 16.5 WAR (10th most in MLB)
• Free Agency: 6.6 WAR (12th)
• Rough draft: 17.0 WAR (4th)
• International Free Agency: 3.3 WAR (13th)
• Other: 6.5 WAR (4th)

The Dodgers have written their project very well and have worked well, at least relative to the rest of the MLB. Let's take a closer look at how the Dodgers built the list that led them to the 2018 World Series.

The project

In a perfect world, teams would write and develop their complete list of 25 people and never spend money on free agents or abandon players in the trades. This world does not exist. Not even close. The repechage remains the best (and most profitable) way to acquire high-end talent and the Dodgers have attracted several key players in the repechage in recent years.

The story of Cody Bellinger is interesting. The kid who set the NHL rookie record with 39 homers at home last season was once a lean enough college student from Arizona who had not been spotted by unsure scouts. Bellinger is the son of a great leaguer – his father, Clay Bellinger, played four years at the MLB and participated in the World Series every four years – and it offered a high-end athletics, an extraordinary makeup and an amateur work ethic. The Dodgers caught him in the fourth round and now he's the reigning MVP NLCS and one of the best young sluggers in the game.

Vanderbilt is a university baseball powerhouse and the school produced three top players in 2015: Dansby Swanson (1st overall), Carson Fulmer (8th overall) and Walker Buehler (24th overall). Buehler was operated on by Tommy John shortly after the draft and came back in 2016 throwing himself harder than ever and with more terrible things than he showed in college. Once in good health, Buehler climbed the ranks of minor leagues and led all rookie throwers in WAR in 2018. He started NLCS match 7 on Saturday night. This is not just a beautiful story. He is already a key member of the team.

A multitude of injuries, including Tommy John's surgery in high school in Ohio, have bothered Caleb Ferguson over the years. The Dodgers have turned him into a professional player after the rebuilding of the elbow and his sense of stickmanship has allowed him to reach the big leagues in 2018. Ferguson made some debuts this summer before settling in as a relief player. trust. Transforming a choice of the 38th round and a bonus of $ 100,000 into a useful branch of the major leagues is an example of a major development success.

Clayton Kershaw, the best pitcher of his generation, was one of the top high school consensus contenders for the 2006 MLB. Six players were taken in front of him this year. Here are the six teams that played on Kershaw in 2006:

1. Royals: RHP Luke Hochevar, no school
2. Rockies: RHP Greg Reynolds, Stanford
3. Rays: SS Evan Longoria, Long Beach State
4. pirates: RHP Brad Lincoln, Houston
5. Mariners: RHP Brandon Morrow, UC Berkeley
6. tigers: LHP Andrew Miller, North Carolina

To be fair, no one really expects Kershaw to develop this. He had a good fastball and his trademark ball in high school. It was not before embarking on professional football that he learned to control everything, and he learned the slider that allowed him to make the leap from an eternal star to the probable Hall of Famer.

Kershaw (64.6 WAR) is two or three years away from victory in the Frank Thomas Hall of Fame (73.9 WAR) and becomes the all-time leader of the war among the seventh picks in the repechage. And I do not think he cares about that. Kershaw would undoubtedly exchange all individual achievements, including the three Cy Youngs and his MVP trophy, against a World Series ring this year.

Joc Pederson came back after a tough 2017 season and a strong 2018 year, and he continued to fight hard in October. Once upon a time there were two children from two sports at a high school in Northern California, and it was not until he gave up football and focused on full-time baseball that he thrived. The Dodgers have relied on Pederson's athletics and competitiveness and have been rewarded with a great reward.

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crafts

With one notable exception, the Dodgers have largely built their roster of players with a series of smaller, more streamlined operations that have paid off. It's the M.O. of baseball operations president Andrew Friedman. Even in his Rays debut, Friedman & Co. excelled in finding underrated players in other organizations and turning them into important contributors.

Austin Barnes was an absolute favorite because of his high contact rate, his ability to stay on base and his ability to catch and play second base. The Dodgers acquired Marlins from the Dee Gordon trade a few years ago. Gordon, Dan Harenand Mel Rojas Jr. went to Miami, while Barnes, Andrew Heaney, Enrique Hernandez and Chris Hatcher did the opposite. (Heaney was immediately fired at the Angels for Howie Kendrick.) Barnes has struggled this season after what looked like a 2017 breakthrough, although he remains a quality defensive receiver.

There are two reasons, the Dodgers tried, like crazy, to keep Brian Dozier away from the Twins. It did not work, so they acquired Logan Forsythe Rays. Then, this summer, they sent Forsythe (and potential candidates) to Minnesota for Dozier. Dozier did not play very well after the transaction (.182 / .300 / .350 with Los Angeles) and was relegated to second serve of the playoff squad. It's still a very good guy to sit on your bench.

Another undervalued player, the Dodgers, were able to move away from another organization. Los Angeles sent two low-profile prospects to the Reds for Dylan Floro, Zach Neal and international bonuses earlier this year. Neal pitched a run for the Dodgers before being released and who knows how the international bonus money will be spent, but Floro has quickly become a reliable releaser for manager Dave Roberts. In 27 2/3 with the Dodgers, he allowed five points and withdrew 31. He also posted a high ground ball rate of 52.2%.

Before the trade deadline, the Dodgers improved their bench with David Freese, who has long been a terrorist against left-handed pitchers. He hit .385 / .489 / .641 with two home runs in 19 games with Los Angeles and is a high level of coach stick confidence. The Dodgers surrendered a rookie pitcher in the Dominican summer league to improve their team's margins before the playoffs. This is the type of movement that each competitor attempts to make before the transaction deadline of August 31 following eligibility.

In his first major move with the Dodgers, Friedman sent Matt Kemp, popular but expensive, and (at least slightly) overestimated to his divisional rival, Padres, for the sly production of Grandal. Full details of the trade:

At the time of the transaction, there remained $ 107 million in Kemp, so the Dodgers ate about 30%. Although Grandal struggled in the playoffs, both behind the plate and behind, he hit more than 20 homers and more for the third season in a row and was again named a good striker. Kemp is the most important name, but when you consider his position and his defense, Grandal has been the best full player since the exchange.

Hernandez, with Barnes, was part of the great Marlins trade that sent Gordon to Miami. He has spent the last few seasons as a quality utility technician before finally becoming an everyday option this year, largely because he beat the right-handed pitcher better than ever (.252 / .338 / .495 ). Hernandez started nine of the Dodgers' eleven games in the playoffs at three different positions (second base, center of the field, right field).

At the trading deadline in 2016, the Dodgers subscribed to the Rich Hill revival and acquired it (along with Josh Reddick) from the A for potential pitchers Jharel Cotton, Grant Holmes and Frankie Montas. Things went so well that the Dodgers signed a three-year contract with Hill before the last season, despite his limited record. He threw 132 2/3 with an average of 3.66 this season and was the fourth clubman in October.

(Technically, Hill was a stand-alone player who signed, but since we are looking at how the Dodgers originally acquired these players, we place it with the trades.)

Dodgers like complicated trades, do not they? Almost three years after sending Kemp to the Padres for Grandal, the Dodgers bought Kemp from the Braves. Full trade:

This trade was motivated almost exclusively by money. For both teams. The total money was negligible, but the remaining $ 38.5 million of Kemp's contract was spread over 2018-2019, while the amounts due to Gonzalez, Kazmir and McCarthy were fully due in 2018. The Dodgers were able to spread the money over two years. improve their luxury tax situation. The Braves have pushed all the money in advance and will enter this off season ready to spend now that these contracts are over.

To tell the truth, Kemp did not have to help the Dodgers a lot this year. There were many rumors that they would release it before the opening day. Instead, Kemp improved during the winter, trained heavily in the spring and earned a spot in the opening day lineup. He hit .290 / .338 / .481 with 21 homers this year and started the all-star game.

Once Corey Seager was operated by Tommy John, it was felt that the Dodgers were to acquire Manny Machado and not "if". The contract was finally concluded at the break of the stars – the last time Machado wore the Orioles' uniform was in the All-Star Game – Machado heading to Los Angeles for five potential candidates: Yusniel Diaz, Rylan Bannon, Dean Kremer and Zach. Pop and Breyvic Valera. MLB.com ranks Diaz at 52nd of the best prospects of the game. Machado was good, even slightly disappointing after the trade (.273 / .338 / .487), but he had some major successes in the playoffs, and he appears to be went as far as possible. For Manny, this post-season was … hectic. It was hectic.

It was a surprise when the Dodgers did not bring more relief to the 31 July deadline for a no-waiver transaction. Instead, they waited until the August 31st post-season deadline to acquire Ryan Madson from the Nationals. Perspective Pitching Andrew Istler went the other way. Madson allowed six points in eight innings and one-third after the deal, but allowed a six-run point in the playoffs, giving Los Angeles the extra layer of pen depth they needed.

These are trades like this that have allowed the Dodgers to win six consecutive titles in the NL West. They picked up Chris Taylor of the Mariners for beating the former first rounder Zach Leeand, since trade, Taylor has put a .267 / .338 / .464 pudding line in five different positions. Taylor was not as good in 2018 as in 2017 – he led the NL with 178 strikeouts this year – but he's a comfortably above-average player with incredible versatility. What a weapon for a NL club. For any club, really.

You know that you made a good exchange when the opposing general manager admits that he made a colossal mistake on Twitter. John Coppolella, who is no longer the GM Braves (not because of this trade), sent Alex Wood to the Dodgers as part of a big three-team deal at the 2015 deal deadline. In June 2016, Coppolella wanted it back.

Not often, you will hear a GM admit a defeat like this. The Dodgers have completely defrauded the Braves in this business. Here are the complete details of the trade:

• Dodgers get: Wood, Bronson Arroyo, Luis Avilan, Jim Johnson, Mat Latos, Michael Morse, Jose Peraza
• The brave ones get: Zach Bird, Hector Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, choice of competitive balance
• The Marlins have: Victor Araujo, Jeff Brigham, Kevin Guzman

For all intents and purposes, the Dodgers accepted Arroyo's contract and Morse's contract to get Wood. Olivera was the centerpiece in the other direction, and it was so bad that the Braves traded it to the Padres a year later to get Kemp (the baseball is a flat circle), and the Padres immediately went released Olivera. They just wanted to unload Kemp's contract.

Wood averaged 3.46 in 434 innings and two-thirds with the Dodgers and was sometimes spectacular. Los Angeles dropped him on the board for the playoffs.

Signature of the free agent

In general, the free agency is the least efficient way to acquire talent in terms of cost compared to production. And the Dodgers, believe it or not, have largely avoided huge independent agent contracts under Friedman. In fact, only two players from the post-season joined the team as independent players and both signed minor league contracts.

What a story. Max Muncy was released by the athletes at the end of the Spring 2017 training and he quickly became involved with the Dodgers shortly thereafter. It was so far from the picture last year that it was not even called in September. The injuries led to a reminder earlier this season and Muncy responded with a .263 / .391 / .582 hit line in 35 homers in 137 games. Goodness. He is now at the center of the order for Los Angeles.

Has a better minor league contract been passed in the last 25 years? I am not sure. The Dodgers signed Justin Turner after the Mets did not, thinking it could be a solid in-depth option and a great utility. He then refitted his swing and became one of the best hitters in the NL. Good enough to win him a four-year contract valued at $ 64 million two years ago. Turner hit .312 / .406 / .518 around a wrist injury this year and he continues to crush in the playoffs. He is a .310 / .425 / .516 forward with 30 RBIs in 44 games in October. The credit is due: former general manager Ned Colletti has signed Turner, not Friedman.

International Free Agency

Teams can acquire amateur talents in two ways: the project and the free international agency. Under Friedman, the Dodgers have been very aggressive internationally, both in Latin America and in Asia. This has always been the case, dating back to the time of Fernando Valenzuela. This is not a recent development.

The Dodgers originally signed Pedro Baez as a position player. This was a field player (a third base player in particular) who had never really figured out how to hit. A line of .248 / .309 / .392 hitters in over 2,000 appearances in the minor league leagues led to a test on the mound and Baez is now an effective and devious man. Yes, he works very slowly. But he also has an average of 3.01 (130) and 287 strikeouts in 269 1/3 career. In the playoffs, Baez allowed four baseball players to score while eliminating 10 innings out of 6 without scoring.

Once upon a time Kenley Jansen was a catcher striking the light. The Dodgers made him leave Curacao in 2004, at the age of 16, and after a few seasons, it became apparent that he was not going to hit enough to reach the big leagues . Jansen is a career hitter of .229 / .310 / .337 in nearly 1,000 minor league plate matches. Even at the receiver, where the offensive bar is not very high, it will not cut it.

The Dodgers decided to put Jansen on the mound in 2009 and a year later he was in the big leagues. Three years later, he closed his doors and seven years later, he signed a five-year contract worth $ 80 million. The move to the mound worked pretty well, huh? Jansen has been more inclined to run at home this year than ever before, but in recent seasons, he's arguably the closest match. For my money, his entry "California Love" at Dodger Stadium is the coolest entry in the world.

Kenta Maeda was not an international free amateur agent. He signed with the Dodgers after spending eight years with Hiroshima carp in Japan. Hiroshima sent him into the MLB teams during the 2015-16 season and ended up accepting the Dodgers under a single eight-year contract. The transaction includes a guarantee of $ 25 million plus bonuses of $ 75 million. A pre-existing elbow injury led to this unique contract. Carp has received a $ 20 million exit fee for posting Maeda.

In his three regular seasons with the Dodgers, Maeda earned a 3.80 ERA in 435 1/3 of a heat, although the team moved him into the paddock at the end of the season. According to my unofficial count, Maeda has earned $ 15.95 million of this $ 75 million in gambling bonuses available to date.

When the Dodgers originally signed Yasiel Puig, they sent shockwaves to baseball. America's baseball International guru Ben Badler met with several evaluators who had been shocked by the contract at the time. "I do not know, I do not know what's going on in the Dodger country, they must have seen something," said an evaluator in Badler.

Puig, who was 21 when he joined the Dodgers, beefed up his body shortly after his signing and showed that Long Layoff – Puig had not competed in any more competitive games. year after leaving Cuba – had no perverse effect. He joined the major leagues less than a year after his signing and was immediately an influential player, reaching .305 / .386 / .502 from 2013-14. The 2015-2016 seasons were disappointing, but Puig had a very good 2018 season and eliminated the seventh NLCS game with a monstrous three-point home run against Jeremy Jeffress.

Similar to Maeda, Hyun-Jin Ryu was not an international free amateur agent. He spent seven years with the Hanwha Eagles in Korea before joining MLB. The Dodgers paid $ 25.7 million in signage to Hanwha to secure its negotiating rights and then signed it for a six-year, $ 36 million contract. Ryu was fantastic from 2013 to 2014 before significant shoulder problems sabotaged his 2015 and 2016 seasons. A groin injury limited him to 82 1/3 innings this year, but in these 82 1/3 of sleeves, he posted a 1.87 MPM (198 MPA +). Ryu was also fantastic in his two playoff debuts before being shaken up in the sixth game of NLCS.

Teenager Julio Urias was an important amateur hope, but some teams were frightened by an illness of the left eye. Urias had a cancerous tumor removed from his eye when he was a child and left a drooping eyelid that did not interfere with his vision. The Dodgers signed it and he quickly developed to become a potential ace and the best prospect of match pitchers. Urias launched 77 innings with a points average equal to 3.39 (119) + in 19 years in 2016, but a major shoulder operation cost him most of the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He returned late in the regular season and worked from the NLCS office.

Other notable

The 25 players listed above were the list of Dodgers for the NLCS. Several other players have spent time in Los Angeles this year – in some cases they have spent the entire season on the major league lineup – and have helped the club enter the playoffs, but should not be doing part of the World Series alignment. Here are the last notable of the Dodgers and how they were acquired.

Another complicated business. The Dodgers have acquired Scott Alexander, specialist balloon football teams at the Southpaw, Royals as part of a three-team deal with the White Sox during the winter. Full details of the trade:

Alexander spent most of the season on MLB training (he played four games in Triple-A) and appeared on the formation of the LNDS, although the Dodgers abandoned him for the benefit of Urias within the ALCS. He is a candidate to be added to the World Series list. At the very least, he will travel with the team and will be available to replace an injury.

Shoulders have limited Josh Fields to 41 very good runs this season (2.20 ERA and 178 ERA +), although some of the underlying numbers are scary and the Dodgers have ruled out their playoff lineup. Los Angeles initially acquired Astros Fields for Yordan Alvarez, who is currently the best baseball prospect. Fields has been helpful, but this trade could come back to haunt the Dodgers.

In what remains a strange craft, the Rays essentially dropped Corey Dickerson on the Pirates on Pirates last winter. The return: Daniel Hudson, who was released during the spring training and a lower level hope. The Dodgers raised Hudson and he pitched 46 innings with a 4.11 ($ 95 plus) earned run average over the summer. Because he was released, Tampa Bay was looking for a salary of $ 5.5 million. The Dodgers had only to pay to Hudson the pro rata portion of the minimum of the league.

Seager, like Bellinger and Kershaw, is a gift left to the Friedman Diet by Colletti. Colletti eliminated Seager from high school in North Carolina, where his hitting and baseball lineage – his brother Kyle Seager, third Mariners' base – were obvious. Corey was unanimously voted unanimously in 2016 and nominated as the Most Valuable Player in 2017.

This season, Seager has been limited to 26 games due to an elbow injury that goes back to last season, an elbow injury that required surgery from Tommy John in May. The Dodgers had to fend for themselves very quickly – Taylor saw a lot of action in short, his natural position, as a result of Seager's injury – before trading against Machado. Seager is still undergoing rehabilitation and will not appear on the World Series list. However, he should be ready for spring training.

Ross Stripling had a rather unique development path, and it's a story of perseverance. He was a footballer and basketball player at his high school in Texas. He started playing baseball only when he broke his leg, that he was bored and that he started going around the world. baseball to pass the time. Stripling spent four years at Texas A & M before being selected by Los Angeles. He underwent surgery at Tommy John while he was in the minor and has since established himself as a useful swinger for the Dodgers. Stripling has launched 122 innings with a 3.02 ERA (128 plus) this season. It was a star before ending up on the list of disabled players and disappearing late. He is a potential candidate for the World Series list.

As part of their rebuilding, the Phillies have traded just about all their remarkable veterans, including the heart player, Chase Utley. The Dodgers added it to the 2015 trading deadline for two prospects, and they eventually renewed the contract with Utley as a free agent in each of the last three offseasons. He's a part-time position in Los Angeles and was not part of the NLDS or NLCS lineup, but make no mistake, Utley is still a force to be reckoned with in the club- house. Seager and Hernandez acknowledged that Utley's leadership had helped them become the players they are today.