Dodgers Receive Brutal Mark in Trade Deadline Re-Grade 2 Weeks later

Aug 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) relieves Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brock Stewart (41) in the ninth inning during an MLB game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers received a harsh grade in Bob Nightengale's trade deadline regrade on USA Today.

Nightengale originally ranked the Dodgers' surprisingly quiet trade deadline a 'C-', however regraded them even lower, putting them at a 'D'.

The Dodgers were linked to several big-name stars across the league, the most prominent of which was Steven Kwan, though failed to bring any of them in. They ended the deadline with two moves, acquiring Brock Stewart from the Minnesota Twins and Alex Call from the Washington Nationals.

They stuck to their guns and decided to wait for their injured players to return, however it hasn't quite paid off so far. Stewart has already found himself on the injured list along with Kirby Yates, Michael Kopech and Tanner Scott, and the Dodgers sat below .500 through the first 12 games following the deadline.

"They have six weeks to get their pitching straightened out to avoid a living nightmare in October," wrote Nightengale.

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Even before his injury, Stewart didn't exactly impress, posting a 4.91 ERA through his first four appearances for the Dodgers this season.

Call has also been fairly average since his arrival in LA. He has a .143 batting average and a .470 OPS in 21 at-bats during his time with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers may still get better as the season progresses with key players returning, but the through between Nightengale's ranking is that they could have made moves to prevent a crisis in the case of an injury.

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The Dodgers still sit atop the NL West after a three-game sweep of the Padres, though they led by nine games a month and a half ago, and will hope the returns of some key pitchers and third baseman Max Muncy will be enough to keep them there as the season progresses.

For now, though, they'll have to work with what they have as they try to maintain their spot at the top of their division. Their next series comes against the Colorado Rockies on the road before they face the Padres for a second time in a week. The opening game of their four-game series against the Rockies comes on Monday at 5:40 p.m. PT.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.