Call to the pen
Fansided

Ranking baseball’s decision-makers for 2018: Part 2

By Bill Felber

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 7: General Manager David Forst of the Oakland Athletics and General Manager Farhan Zaidi of the Los Angeles Dodgers talk in the clubhouse prior to the game at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 7, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Dodgers defeated the Athletics 4-2. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 7: General Manager David Forst of the Oakland Athletics and General Manager Farhan Zaidi of the Los Angeles Dodgers talk in the clubhouse prior to the game at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 7, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Dodgers defeated the Athletics 4-2. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, AZ – AUGUST 09: General manager Farhan Zaidi of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the dugout before the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on August 9, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

12. Farhan Zaidi, Los Angeles Dodgers, +1.8 games

In the season’s final two months – when the possibility existed that the Dodgers might for the first time since 2012 fail to qualify for post-season play, Farhan Zaidi did just enough to revitalize his team.

Given the Dodgers‘ talent base, just enough may be enough to snare the franchise’s first World Series win in 30 years.

The most obvious move was also the most significant, Zaidi’s trade for free-agent-to-be Manny Machado to shore up the hole at shortstop let by a season-ending injury to Corey Seager. Machado batted .273 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs over the stretch drive, contributing +2.0 WAA to the cause.

A less-heralded acquisition, David Freese from the Pirates, brought maturity plus an additional +0.4 WAA. Dylan Floro, who came over from Cincinnati, fleshed out the bullpen at a gain of an additional +0.8 WAA.

The signing of Max Muncy, reduced to minor league status since his 2016 release by the Oakland A’s, proved yet another boon. Called up from Oklahoma City where he spent 2017, Muncy surprised everybody with 35 home runs and competent work at second base. The gain to LA was +2.7 WAA.

Obviously, not all of Zaidi’s decisions worked out as well as those four; if they had, his overall score would be a lot higher than +1.8. The loss of Brandon Morrow to free agency, with its ripple effects in a Dodger bullpen that became suspicious, hurt even though Morrow’s arm, injury mitigated the loss to a degree. But if Los Angeles does go on to win the World Series, Zaidi will look like a genius, the numbers notwithstanding.

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