With the Minnesota Twins dumping players left and right as the MLB trade deadline loomed large on Thursday, the Los Angeles Dodgers plucked Twins reliever Brock Stewart off the pile. Stewart will definitely help shore up a Dodgers bullpen that needed a healthy arm or two.
When weighing how much the Dodgers gave up to get Stewart, some observers believe that Los Angeles underpaid for his services.
Why Did Dodgers Underpay for Brock Stewart?
In analyzing the Dodgers-Twins trade, Baseball Trade Values posted on X on Thursday, July 31 that it viewed the deal as “a moderate underpay by Los Angeles.”
Today the #Dodgers reportedly acquired RHP Brock Stewart ($6.0M surplus trade value) from the #MNTwins in exchange for OF James Outman ($1.3M).
The deal is accepted by our model as a moderate underpay by Los Angeles.
— Baseball Trade Values (@BaseballValues) July 31, 2025
“Today the #Dodgers reportedly acquired RHP Brock Stewart ($6.0M surplus trade value) from the #MNTwins in exchange for OF James Outman ($1.3M),” the post read. “The deal is accepted by our model as a moderate underpay by Los Angeles.”
One account follower on X asked about why the trade was accepted “when the underpay side provides 21.7% of the value, while Bednar is rejected even though the underpay side provides 58.2% of the value? Is it strictly a straight numbers game (I.e. anything within X million works)?”
The Baseball Trade Values account on X responded, writing, “For low-value trades (<10), absolute value is a much more accurate gauge than %. Otherwise all the onesy twosy trades would be rejected, when in reality no GM would lose sleep over, say, $1M in value. Over 10, it makes more sense to use % as a gauge.”
Can Stewart Stay Healthy for Dodgers?
Stewart has a history of injuries, including Tommy John surgery back in 2021. After returning to action in 2023, Stewart struck out 39 in 27.2 innings. An elbow injury sidelined him for three months, but he returned in time for the AL postseason. Stewart only made 16 appearances in 2024 due to shoulder injuries.
With his history of injuries, the Dodgers are taking a chance on Stewart staying healthy. Los Angeles doesn’t need any more members of its relief corps sidelined. The Dodgers are in first place in the National League West and naturally want to stay there. The defending World Series champions took advantage of the Twins’ misfortune at the deadline.
The Dodgers will keep a close eye on Stewart, but they didn’t have to give up the entire farm to get him. Having Stewart, who has some veteran experience, as a go-to pitcher in the late innings could prove quite helpful. If he’s able to afford them some shutdown innings, then this trade might become a steal for the Dodgers.
