The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired second baseman Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.
The Twins received infielder Logan Forsythe and two minor leaguers, outfielder Luke Raley and left-hander Devin Smeltzer, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick was first to report the deal as completed.
Dozier is now the fifth player traded by the Twins in the last five days. He is batting just .224 but has 16 home runs and 52 RBIs this season, bringing the much needed pop that Forsythe didn’t have.
Brian Dozier has been traded to the #Dodgers. Deal is done. @Ken_Rosenthal reported close.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 31, 2018
Dozier is scheduled to become a free agent after this season. The former All-Star has spent his entire seven-year career with the Twins, who shift their focus to the future amid a disappointing season.
Dozier and new teammate Manny Machado, who was acquired in a trade with the Orioles, have each hit 143 home runs since the start of 2014, tied for fourth among infielders in that span. After the Twins lost a team-record 103 games in 2016, the Dodgers pursued Dozier that winter but settled for Forsythe in a trade with Tampa Bay instead.
He will give the Dodgers a potent option against left-handed pitching, both down the stretch and in the playoffs. Through 1082 career plate appearances against lefties, Dozier has impressed with a .277/.356/.516 slash line and 48 home runs.
