3 Dodgers trade deadline or offseason wins that helped lift them to World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers went out and spent over $1 billion this offseason as they looked to build a championship-caliber roster. After fighting through the rugged National League, the Dodgers came out on top, winning the NL Pennant over the New York Mets.

But, this was no accident. It is no Cinderella story. This path to the World Series was meticulously crafted by the Dodgers front office as they made a plethora of roster moves, both in the offseason and at the trade deadline, that led them to where they're at.

What specific moves did the Dodgers make that led them to the World Series in 2024?

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3. Trading for Tommy Edman was risky, but paid off tremendously

During the season, the Dodgers were pretty active in the trade market. There were a ton of different stars that Los Angeles either traded for or attempted to trade for. But, when they were part of a three-team trade between themselves, the White Sox and the Cardinals, they didn't go for traditional star power, instead opting to acquire a few pieces that the other two teams were giving up on. They acquired Michael Kopech, who's been solid, but the forgotten piece of the trade was the Cardinals sending Tommy Edman to Los Angeles.

Edman spent a majority of the regular season injured, but he came back for just under 40 games where he slashed .237/.294/.417. But, he's come alive in the postseason. In 11 games this postseason, he's slashing .341/.333/.477 with three doubles and a home run. Edman was named the NLCS MVP for his performance against the New York Mets in the NLCS.

The Dodgers are going to need him to continue this production if they want to top the Yankees for the World Series. Edman was the forgotten piece of the three team blockbuster trade at the trade deadline, but the Dodgers are very happy that they acquired him this year.

2. Trading for Jack Flaherty gave Los Angeles an ace amidst injuries to their staff

In a seven-game series like the World Series, having an ace is a crucial piece of the puzzle, especially when the other team has a Cy Young caliber ace of their own. That's the exact situation the Dodgers are in with the New York Yankees. The Yankees are going to be sending their ace, Gerrit Cole, out there against the Dodgers and Los Angeles is able to combat this with Jack Flaherty because of their aggressiveness at the trade deadline.

The Dodgers knew they needed a starter at the deadline and they went out to acquire Flaherty. This decision looks even better in hindsight because of how injured the Dodgers pitching rotation currently is. It's hard to imagine that Los Angeles would have made it this far if they didn't have the stability provided by Flaherty whenever he pitches.

Ironically, it was the Yankees that the Dodgers were in a bidding war with to acquire Flaherty. The Yankees ended up backing out on trading for him, allowing the Dodgers to land the right-handed pitcher. Now Flaherty has a chance to prove the Dodgers right in this decision.

1. Signing Shohei Ohtani is the ultimate move that got the Dodgers to the WS

Was there any other decision that could have gone in this slot?

Obviously, the top decision that the Dodgers made in the last year is when they gave Shohei Ohtani his 10-year, $700 million contract. Though, I may not fully agree with the option to give him $680 million in deferred money. This spot on the list is for the signing in general, not the details in the contract.

Ohtani has been a top-two player in baseball all season long, including the postseason. If the Dodgers are going to win World Series championships over the course of his decade with the team, it's going to have a lot to do with him, especially when he finds himself back on the pitching mound in 2025.

As for this year, Ohtani slashed .310/.390/.646 with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, becoming the first member of the 50/50 club in baseball history. During the postseason, he's slashing .286/.434/.500 with 12 hits, 12 runs, three home runs and 10 RBIs.

Signing Ohtani took a Dodgers team that was one of the best in the league and gave them the best player in the league. There was some backlash to this from the rest of the league, but it was obviously the best move that Los Angeles made this year.