Dodgers add Stewart to 'pen, deal for OF Call from Nats

CINCINNATI -- The Dodgers had two clear areas of need heading into Thursday's Trade Deadline: the bullpen and the outfield. They addressed both with relatively low-profile moves -- and are ultimately betting on the roster they constructed this past offseason to reach its full potential.

L.A. made three trades on Thursday, acquiring righty reliever Brock Stewart from the Twins and outfielder Alex Call from the Nationals before sending Dustin May to the Red Sox. The team was also part of a three-way swap with the Rays and Reds on the eve of the Deadline.

It was a modest Deadline, especially compared with the stunner of a day the Padres had. San Diego is only three games behind L.A. in the NL West, which has become a two-team race with San Francisco and Arizona opting to sell.

With teams swinging big and paying sky-high prices, the Dodgers gave up relatively little. They parted with big league depth in James Outman (Twins) and Hunter Feduccia (Rays), as well as two High-A pitchers, Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Liñan (Nationals). May was an impending free agent and no longer fit on the roster.

The Dodgers also expect to get quite a bit of talent back from the injured list down the stretch and for what they hope will be another deep postseason run.

“Obviously, there was a lot of action today throughout the game, and a lot of teams improved. But we feel really good about this group," general manager Brandon Gomes said. "Coming into the year, felt like this was as talented of a roster as we've ever had. We're in a position where we're in first place, and I don't even think we've played our best baseball yet."

Here's a breakdown of the deals for Stewart and Call:

TRADE DETAILS
Dodgers get: RHP Brock Stewart
Twins get: OF James Outman

It's a reunion for Stewart and the Dodgers, who selected the 33-year-old in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. But the version of Stewart that the Dodgers are getting now is much different than the one they had years ago.

Stewart is in the middle of one of the better seasons of his career, recording a 2.38 ERA in 39 appearances. He's struck out 41 batters against 11 walks in 34 innings.

"He's worked incredibly hard on his delivery and his pitches he's added," Gomes said. "A double-plus breaking ball on top of the changeup that he had when he was here. It's a dynamic arsenal, and being able to deploy him in high-leverage situations is something we're really excited about.”

In 2019, Stewart's last year in the Dodgers' organization, he was averaging 91.5 mph with his fastball. He's now ticked up to 96.1 mph with the heater on average and has been especially tough on right-handers, holding them to a .327 OPS this season.

Stewart comes with two additional seasons of club control, but there's some risk with him. He's two-thirds of an inning away from surpassing his single-season career high, which is currently 34 1/3 innings with the Dodgers in 2017. He dealt with arm injuries in each of the past two seasons and had Tommy John surgery in 2021.

After finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2023, Outman's production at the plate took a sharp decline afterward. The 28-year-old still played excellent defense in center field but didn't hit well in limited opportunities, going 4-for-39 (.103) with two homers this season.

TRADE DETAILS
Dodgers get: OF Alex Call
Nationals get: RHPs Eriq Swan (Dodgers' No. 16 prospect) and Sean Paul Liñan (No. 20)

The 30-year-old Call will become arbitration-eligible for the first time this coming offseason and is under club control through 2029. He can play all three outfield spots, although he's mostly played the corners this year, and figures to be a defensive upgrade.

Call is having a decent season at the plate, hitting .274 with a .756 OPS and only 36 strikeouts in 237 plate appearances. He's hit left-handers especially well.

Gomes said Call won't necessarily platoon in left field with Michael Conforto -- who had his best month yet in July, posting an .827 OPS -- and the team is planning to "mix [him] around" the outfield as needed.

The expectation is that Call will help lengthen a Dodgers lineup that was rather streaky over the past month, during which the team went 10-14.

"This guy's just a straight grinder, works at-bats," Gomes said. "Playing against him, he's always incredibly frustrating to try to game plan for and get out."