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From Jack Harris: After waiting until the eve of this year’s MLB trade deadline to make their first big move, the Dodgers executed a complex maneuver Monday — landing utility man Tommy Edman and relief pitcher Michael Kopech in a three-team trade with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation who weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
It was far from a blockbuster deal for the first-place but injury-plagued Dodgers. Edman is a career .265 hitter who has yet to play this season because of an offseason wrist surgery and an ankle sprain. Kopech is a hard-throwing, yet walk-prone, right-hander with a 4.74 ERA and nine saves this season.
But, both players come with upside — Edman as a switch-hitter and versatile defensive option in both the infield and outfield; Kopech as a talented former first-round pick who moved to the bullpen this year after being a starter in 2022 and 2023.
Both will fill holes on the Dodgers’ roster — providing added depth in the bullpen and at the bottom of the lineup.
In return, the Dodgers sent outfielder Miguel Vargas and two minor league prospects, Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus, to the White Sox. In addition, the Dodgers are sending a player to be named later or cash to the Cardinals and the White Sox.
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From Jack Harris: The Dodgers’ second move of the trade deadline was a rather familiar one.
Just as they did last year, the team acquired utility infielder Amed Rosario in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday in exchange for minor league pitcher Michael Flynn. Long reliever Ryan Yarbrough was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Former Dodger Justin Turner traded from Toronto to Seattle
Reyes Moronta, former Dodgers and Angels pitcher, dies in vehicle crash
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RAMS
From Gary Klein: No elbow problem. No money-related hold-in.
Just a scheduled day off.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford did not practice Monday — the team’s first in pads — but coach Sean McVay shut down speculation quicker than a Stafford-delivered pass during a two-minute drill.
“This was part of the plan all along,” McVay said, adding, “There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s good.”
Jimmy Garoppolo took Stafford’s place with the first-team offense and Stetson Bennett worked with the second team.
Although both excelled at times, there is no replacing Stafford. The 16th-year pro is the key player for a team that will enter the season with far greater expectations than the 2023 version that finished with a better-than-anticipated 10-7 record and made the playoffs.
So managing Stafford’s workload, and keeping the 36-year-old injury free, remains paramount.
In 2022, after the Rams’ victory in Super Bowl LVI, Stafford did not throw passes during the offseason and was limited in training camp because of right elbow tendinitis. Midway through a lost season, he sustained a concussion that forced him to sit out a game and then a spinal injury that sidelined him the last seven games .
Stan Kroenke’s championship success has common thread
CHARGERS
From Marissa Kraus: Nothing like starting Week 2 of training camp by practicing in pads. The Chargers were able to get some contact reps in for the first time Monday, making for a productive practice under the Southern California sun. But don’t ask coach Jim Harbaugh about other teams sharing the same gorgeous weather.
“I wasn’t aware there were other teams around,” he said, even though the Rams, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints are all in the area. “Submarine over here with people watching.”
Some takeaways from Day 4:
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1930 — Host Uruguay beats Argentina 4-2 for soccer’s first World Cup in Montevideo.
1932 — The 10th modern Olympic Games open in Los Angeles.
1961 — Jerry Barber edges Don January by one stroke in a playoff to win the PGA title at Olympia Fields in Illinois.
1966 — England beats West Germany 4-2 at London’s Wembley Stadium to capture soccer’s World Cup.
1968 — Washington’s Ron Hansen pulls off an unassisted triple play in a 10-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians.
1971 — In the NFL Chicago All-Star Game, the Baltimore Colts beat the All-Stars 24-17.
1976 — Bruce Jenner sets the world record in the Olympic decathlon with 8,618 points, breaking Nikolai Avilov’s mark by 164 points.
1980 — Houston pitcher J.R. Richard suffers a stroke during a workout at the Astrodome.
1996 — The American softball team wins the gold medal, beating China 3-1 behind a controversial two-run homer from Dot Richardson in the first Olympic competition in that sport.
2012 — In London, Missy Franklin, a 17-year-old from Colorado, wins the women’s 100-meter backstroke. Franklin has a brief 13-minute break after taking the final qualifying spot in the 200 freestyle semifinals before she had to get back into the water for the backstroke final. Ruta Meilutyte, 15, becomes the first Lithuanian to win an Olympic swimming medal by holding off a late charge from world champion Rebecca Soni of the U.S. in the 100 breaststroke.
2021 — South African swimmer Tatjana Shoemaker sets a new women’s 200m breaststroke world record of 2:18.95 at the Tokyo Olympics.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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