Los Angeles Dodgers Agree to Trade With New York Yankees to Open Room For Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to trade left-handed pitcher Victor González and infield prospect Jorbit Vivas to the New York Yankees in exchange for shortstop prospect Trey Sweeney, ESPN's Alden González reported Monday morning.

The move frees up two spots on the Dodgers' 40-man roster, which will allow them to officially sign relief pitcher Joe Kelly and two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani announced his decision to sign with the Dodgers via an Instagram post on Saturday, but the team did not address it at all over the weekend. Los Angeles' 40-man roster was full, and the front office had to spend the next few days trying to deal away spare parts and make room for his arrival.

González, a 28-year-old reliever, has had his ups and downs with the Dodgers since making his MLB debut in 2020. Through his first two seasons, González was 6-1 with a 2.75 ERA and 1.2 WAR in 59 appearances.

A left elbow injury prevented González from pitching in the big leagues in 2022, however. And after not allowing a run in his first 10 outings of 2023, his ERA stood at 10.22 between May 20 and July 2.

González actually salvaged his season upon his return from Triple-A in August, allowing one earned run in his final nine appearances. The Dodgers didn't put him on their NLDS roster, though, and now they have forfeited his rights to the Yankees.

The 22-year-old Vivas has yet to reach the majors. He was ranked as Los Angeles' No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

In five seasons of minor league ball, Vivas is a .281 hitter with an .805 OPS. The second baseman/third baseman had 13 home runs, 63 RBI and 25 stolen bases between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023.

The Dodgers are replacing Vivas in their farm system with Sweeney, who was the Yankees’ No. 8 prospect.

Sweeney hit 13 home runs with 49 RBI and 20 stolen bases in Double-A this year. The former first round pick has hit .248 with a .789 OPS since arriving in New York’s system in 2021.

Following these latest end-of-the-roster moves, the Dodgers should be announcing the Ohtani move shortly, as well as the return of Kelly.

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