Dodgers acquire Amed Rosario from Guardians for Noah Syndergaard

The Dodgers’ quest for right-handed bats did not end with the acquisition of Kiké Hernández. Los Angeles is bringing aboard shortstop Amed Rosario in a trade with the Guardians, the team announced Wednesday evening. Going to Cleveland is pitcher Noah Syndergaard, which was first reported by both Pat Ragazzo of Fan Nation and Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic, and cash.

Progress toward a trade was first reported by Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers at ESPN.

Like Hernández, Rosario is having a down season, with the Dodgers trying to recapture his prior form.

Rosario is hitting .265/.306/.369 with an 86 wRC+ this season, a down year after hitting .282/.316/.406 with a 101 wRC+ over 2021-22 combined. But he’s hitting better against left-handed pitching, something the Dodgers crave, with a .303/.345/.477 line with a 126 wRC+ this year against southpaws and .302/.343/.474 with a 123 wRC+ against lefties in his career.

It’s been a rough year on both offense and defense for Rosario, who was tabbed as a replacement-level killer at shortstop by FanGraphs earlier on Wednesday. Says Jay Jaffe, “his defense has been dreadful according to the metrics, with both his -16 DRS and -12 RAA the majors’ lowest marks at any infield position.”

The Dodgers have suffered at the shortstop position this year, scrambling since Gavin Lux tore his ACL and sprained his LCL during spring training. Miguel Rojas, acquired to be a utility man during the offseason, has instead been pressed into regular duty, starting 64 of 101 games at shortstop. The defense has been solid as always, but Rojas is hitting just .221/.279/.268 with a 54 wRC+.

Chris Taylor has also started 22 games at shortstop in addition to his time in the outfield, and the Dodgers have even used Mookie Betts at shortstop for the first time in his major league career, playing 16 games with 12 starts at the position.

While with Cleveland, Rosario also started six games in left field in 2022, and played 18 games in center field in 2021, starting there 14 times in addition to his shortstop duties.

For what it’s worth, the Dodgers in announcing the trade referred to Rosario as an infielder/outfielder.

Rosario, who will be a free agent after the season, is making $7.8 million in 2023, which means there is roughly $2.8 million remaining for the rest of the season. Syndergaard is making $13 million on his one-year deal with the Dodgers, with about $4.68 million remaining. The Dodgers are sending cash to Cleveland in the trade, totaling $1,873,118 — confirmed by Associated Press — equivalent to the difference in salaries pro-rated over the final 67 days of the 186-day season.

Syndergaard has been a disaster this season with a 7.16 ERA in 12 starts. He’s been on the injured list since June with a blister on his right index finger, and has pitched twice for Triple-A Oklahoma City on a minor league rehab assignment.

Syndergaard was scheduled to start again for Oklahoma City on Thursday, after which, “That’s when the rubber meets the road and we’ve got to make a decision,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday.