The Los Angeles Dodgers are exactly what we thought they were. A juggernaut. They proved it once again, with a 15-2 rout on Tuesday night against the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers. As lethal as they are, they’re not a team without flaws.
The top of the Dodgers’ order is ridiculous. Even the top six of the Dodgers’ order is ridiculous. I mean, when healthy, Teoscar Hernandez hits sixth consistently. That same Hernandez who is second in the National League in home runs and third in RBI. The lineup is extremely difficult to pitch to. However, the bottom of the order has been a weakness for LA.
Guys like Gavin Lux, Jason Heyward, Enrique Hernandez, Chris Taylor, and Miguel Rojas don’t offer much at all offensively. With that in mind, the Dodgers traded for a player most fans recognize because of his father.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Dodgers acquired Cavan Biggio, son of Houston Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, in a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. This doesn’t come as a major shock, as Biggio was DFA’d recently and was almost certainly going to get dealt.
Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported that the Dodgers acquired Biggio in exchange for a minor leaguer. Passan wound up reporting that said minor leaguer is right-hander Braydon Fisher.
The deal makes sense for the Dodgers. Biggio adds some much-needed depth to a roster that needs it. Biggio hasn’t done much this season and really hasn’t done much for a majority of his six-year career, but he did finish fifth in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting in 2019. He followed that up by posting an .807 OPS and playing in 59 of the 60 games in the shortened 2020 season.
It’s been rough since, but at his best, Biggio can get on base. Even last season when he hit just .235 and had a subpar 97 OPS+, Biggio did have a .340 OBP. If he can get on base at or around that clip at the bottom of the order, the Dodgers can be even scarier.
Biggio can play just about everywhere on the diamond, and has another year of club control. Two weak spots in the Dodgers’ lineup are second base and right field. Those are the two positions he has played the most in the majors. It’s a no-brainer of a deal for the Dodgers to take a very small gamble on a player who has proven to be useful even as recently as last season. He’s not Craig, but he’s a worthwhile bench piece with upside.
On the other side, the Blue Jays couldn’t expect to get much for a player they just DFA’d, and they didn’t get much. Fisher is a 23-year-old who, while he has struggled in AAA, is in AAA. That means he’s one step away from potentially being a MLB reliever.
For Fisher to ever be promoted to the majors, he’s going to have to improve his command. He’s issued 7.1 BB/9 this season and 5.0 BB/9 in his career. Both figures are unsustainable, especially for a reliever. However, the fact that he has fanned 14.2/9 this season and 11.6/9 in his career suggests that he has good stuff.
The Blue Jays got more than cash considerations for Toronto to spend on more renovations, shed the remainder of Biggio’s $2.1 million salary for this season, and also managed to get a player. The player isn’t all that great, but Biggio wasn’t all that great himself. The Jays made the most of a tough situation.
Dodgers trade grade: B
Blue Jays trade grade: B-
