The Major League Baseball trade deadline has already passed, but the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays made a trade on Tuesday.
Teams can still make trades involving minor league players, and the Dodgers acquired right-handed pitcher Sebastian Rodriguez for Jose Rodríguez. Jose Rodriguez was Rule 5 Draft eligible in the winter, but he had some real walk concerns. He walked 14.2% of batters last year in Triple-A.
The walk numbers have not been much better this year, but he has been much better about keeping the ball in the ballpark. Last year, he allowed eight home runs in 45 games. This year, he has allowed one home run in 25 minor league games. He was a top-30 prospect for the Dodgers going into the season.
He is already in Triple-A and is not too far from making his big league debut. His sinker and changeup play well together and he could be an asset for the Blue Jays down the line. Meanwhile, Sebastian Rodriguez, who will now join the Dodgers organization, is only 20 years old and still in rookie ball.
This is not a trade that is going to make an immediate impact for either team. However, it's these small trades that get overlooked that could end up making a difference in a few years. The Dodgers are very good at developing players, and Rodriguez has good stuff to work with.
