In an effort to sell some key assets for prospects, the Minnesota Twins have traded their second baseman Brian Dozier to the Los Angeles Dodgers for infielder Logan Forsythe, left-handed pitching prospect Devin Smeltzer and outfield prospect Luke Raley.
The Dodgers today acquired second baseman Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for infielder Logan Forsythe and minor leaguers Luke Raley and Devin Smeltzer.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 31, 2018
Minnesota Twins Trade Brian Dozier to Los Angeles Dodgers
This season, Dozier is hitting .224/.305/.402 with a 91 OPS+. He has 16 home runs and 52 RBIs in 104 games played this season. In seven years in the MLB, the second baseman is a career .248/.325/.447 hitter with 167 home runs and 491 RBIs.
Luke Raley is considered the 19th best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. In Double-A, he is currently hitting .275 with 17 home runs and 53 RBI.
“Raley has strength and leverage in his 6-foot-3 frame and could develop average power if he adds more loft to his left-handed stroke,” MLB Pipeline says. “He handles left-handers and right-handers equally well but could use some more patience at the plate. An average runner out of the batter’s box who picks up speed underway, he’s aggressive on the bases.”
The Twins also are receiving Forsythe, who hit .218/.325/.314 in 189 games for the Dodgers over the past two seasons and Smeltzer, who in Double-A Tulsa is 5-5, with a 4.73 ERA in 23 appearances.
Despite this being a down season for Dozier, he is known to explode over the second half of the season. In 2016 and 2017, he hit .319 with nine homers and 22 RBIs in August 2017, and .302 with 13 homers and 27 RBIs in August 2016.
The 31-year-old Dozier has spent his entire career with the Twins, including an All-Star appearance in 2015. He is joining a Dodgers team poised to make a postseason run. They already have acquired third baseman Manny Machado, who is hitting .304/.418/.500 in 11 games played with the Dodgers thus far. It is clear that the Dodgers want to improve on the heartbreaking World Series loss last year by improving their offense. Dozier adds offensive depth and experience as Los Angeles enters the home stretch of the season.
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