CINCINNATI — The Dodgers agreed to a deal to bolster their bullpen depth by acquiring righty reliever Brock Stewart from the Twins in exchange for outfielder James Outman ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. PT Trade Deadline.
It wasn’t the only move the Dodgers made Thursday. Los Angeles is set to acquire outfielder Alex Call from the Nationals in exchange for two pitching prospects, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The teams have not confirmed the deal.
It’s a reunion for Stewart and the Dodgers, who selected the 33-year-old in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Stewart spent parts of his first four big league seasons with Los Angeles, posting a 5.46 ERA across 36 appearances (11 starts) from 2016-19.
TRADE DETAILS
Dodgers get: RHP Brock Stewart
Twins get: OF James Outman
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.
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.
Outman looked to be a big part of the Dodgers’ outfield plans after finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2023, but his production at the plate took a sharp decline afterward. The 28-year-old still played excellent defense in center field — a bright spot for an outfield that has struggled defensively — but didn’t hit well in limited opportunities, going 4-for-39 (.103) with two homers this season.
In Minnesota, Outman could be a suitable replacement for Harrison Bader, who was dealt to the Phillies.
The Dodgers headed into the Trade Deadline in need of an arm who can get righties out, so Stewart — who comes with two additional seasons of club control — is a great fit in that regard. He should be part of the bridge to the ninth inning, although that continues to be a concern for L.A.
It was unlikely that the Dodgers would overpay for a legitimate closer type ahead of the Deadline, especially after seeing the prospect hauls that the A’s, Giants and Twins got in exchange for Mason Miller, Tyler Rogers and Jhoan Duran, respectively.
L.A. has several arms who should be capable of closing out games — among them Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Kirby Yates, Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol — but injuries and inconsistency have taken a toll on the back end of the bullpen. Scott, Kopech and Graterol are on the injured list, but all are expected back before the end of the season. Yates has not been reliable, and Treinen has not looked especially sharp in two appearances after missing more than three months with a forearm injury.
Stewart doesn’t come without risk, either. 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.
The Dodgers were also part of a three-team deal with the Reds and Rays on Wednesday night, sending catcher Hunter Feduccia to Tampa Bay and receiving depth catcher Ben Rortvedt, righty reliever Paul Gervase and lefty pitching prospect Adam Serwinowski in return.
