Dodgers Trade Jorbit Vivas to Yankees For Trey Sweeney: What to Make of Move

In the wake of the Shohei Ohtani signing, the Dodgers made an interesting move to clear 40-man roster space. In a trade with the Yankees, the Dodgers acquired infielder Trey Sweeney in exchange for prospect Jorbit Vivas and left-hander Victor Gonzalez. Here’s a closer look at the move.

The Dodgers’ Return

INF Trey Sweeney (.252/.367/.411, 13 HR and 35 XBH over 100 G (AA)

The Yankees made shortstop Trey Sweeney a first-round pick in 2021 and the former Eastern Illinois product instantly produced.

Sweeney hit seven home runs and 15 extra-base (.932 OPS) hits over his first 32 games in 2021. The 23-year-old didn’t hit at the same pace in 2022-23, be he did belt 29 combined home runs and swiped 51 bases over those two seasons.

An infielder who’s played exclusively at short in his pro career, Sweeney’s a well-balanced player with good speed, an average hit tool, and the ability to draw walks.

One knock on Sweeney is that the 23-year-old employs a hitch in his swing, which in layman’s terms is a hand movement — generally up or down — right before the swing that can be seen as a hindrance to starting it properly.

Notice the hand movement up before the swing.

Sweeney’s proven that he can work with his swing in the upper Minors, as he was able to hit for power and catch up to velocity in Double-A Somerset. However, how much he’ll be able to hit in Triple-A and the Majors obviously remains to be seen.

The Yankees’ Return

RP Victor Gonzalez (4.01 ERA, 30 K over 33.2 IP)
INF Jorbit Vivas (.269/.381/.407, 13 HR and 41 XBH over 135 G (AA and AAA)

The New York Yankees got a high-upside infielder back for Sweeney in Yorbit Vivas.

Vivas is a 22-year-old second baseman with an above-average ability to put the ball in play. The new Yankees infielder also gets plenty of walks, as Vivas walked (69) almost just as much as he struck out (71) this past season.

Scouting reports project Vivas to have slightly below-average power. However, he’s been a 10-15 home run hitter in the Minors.

The 22-year-old also stole a career-high 25 bases this past season.

Additionally, the Yankees received left-handed reliever Victor Gonzalez.

The 28-year-old’s been an effective reliever throughout his MLB career, as he’s struck out 86 over 89.1 career frames and a career WHIP of 1.10.

Gonzalez works from a low arm slot and limits hard contact thanks to his ability to consistently pound the lower half with a sinker/slider combo. The new Yankee did well against both left-handed (.589 opp. OPS) and right-handed hitters (.669 opp. OPS) this past year.

Now, Gonzalez is set to join a Yankees bullpen that didn’t have many lefties. Nick Ramirez and Matt Krook were the only left-handers on the 40-man aside from starters Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes. Wandy Peralta is currently a free agent.

Analysis

The Dodgers were reportedly in talks to move several players on their 40-man roster to make room for Shohei Ohtani and Joe Kelly. Los Angeles accomplished just that, as the Dodgers made a deal to trade Victor Gonzalez and Jorbit Vivas in exchange for Trey Sweeney, who wasn’t on the Yankees’ 40-man roster.

While Los Angeles did give up a solid prospect in Vivas and a good reliever in Gonzalez, the Dodgers do get an intriguing shortstop that could factor into the team’s equation at short at some point in the future, even though he may ultimately wind up as a utilityman.

As for the Yankees, New York did receive a bullpen arm that does help somewhat replenish their depth for 2024. The Yankees moved reliever Greg Weissert in the Alex Verdugo trade, and Gonzalez’s numbers against lefties and righties do make the 28-year-old a versatile arm.

Not to mention, the Yankees also received a well-rounded left-handed hitting infielder in Vivas.