Well, it’s nothing new. The Los Angeles Dodgers are contenders, as they are practically every season, and are fully expected to be big-time buyers before this season’s trade deadline. Most recently, Travis Rogers of ESPN LA brought up a potential blockbuster deal the Dodgers are trying to pull off.
“What if I told you there was a deal that had been whispered about with Emmanuel Clase and Steven Kwan from the Cleveland Guardians,” Rodgers said. “Kwan immediately slides into left field. Your Michael Conforto problem is solved. Steven Kwan is way better than Michael Conforto. And you slide Emmanuel Clase into that ninth inning, who’s having a good year. Not quite a prime Clase year, but a very, very good year. Here’s what it may cost you going the other way: Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius, Josue De Paula, and one more prospect. Four guys.”
Wow. Talk about addressing your needs. Adding these two would be a match made in heaven for the Dodgers.
Emmanuel Clase
After signing Tanner Scott to a massive contract, Los Angeles expected its bullpen to be among the best in the league. Unfortunately, their massive signing has been arguably the biggest flop in the MLB this season. Scott currently sports a 4.00 ERA and has blown seven saves. Safe to say the Dodgers are probably not confident rocking with Scott as their closer this postseason.
Enter Emannuel Clase. The flamethrower is so good that he’s having a “down” year, but still has a sub-three ERA. Last season, he was easily the best reliever in baseball with a 0.61 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, and an AL-best 47 saves. Clase also comes with team control. He will make $6.4 million next year, followed by back-to-back $10 million club options. Fixing your bullpen by bringing in Clase would likely be the best possible addition the Dodgers could make this season.
Steven Kwan
The other part of this blockbuster deal is Steven Kwan, who also addresses a huge weakness. Michael Conforto is the Dodgers’ primary left fielder, and he has accumulated -0.4 fWAR, is hitting below the Mendoza line, and grades out as a poor defender.
Outside of hitting for power, Kwan does it all. He’s a pure contact hitter with a career .285 batting average, provides plus base-running ability, and gives you good defense every year. Kwan is just a good ball player across the board. He has two additional years of control after this season as well. Another significant upgrade at a position of need.
The counter for the Dodgers adding Kwan would be that left field playing time should be given to Hyeseong Kim instead. The rookie has played well in a reserve role with a .331 batting average and .817 OPS. He’s also one of the fastest players in the sport. However, similar to Kwan, he doesn’t provide much power with only two home runs this season. Another question mark with Kim is with his defense, as his fielding run value in the 41st percentile shows he’s struggled in the outfield.
Is this Hypothetical Trade Realistic?
Despite the rumors and obvious fit for Los Angeles, it seems like the Dodgers aren’t giving up enough. Josue De Paula would be a strong centerpiece for the deal as he is the 25th-best rated prospect per MLB.com. However, both Justin Wrobleski and Ben Casparius haven’t excelled early in their major league careers. De Paula is a good headliner for the trade, but they’d likely need to add in more quality prospects, as Clase and Kwan are young, controllable assets. Even if Los Angeles doesn’t pull off their deal, it shows that they are looking to improve where they need to most.
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