Dodgers acquire Brian Dozier, John Axford in trades

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired second baseman Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.

The Twins received infielder Logan Forsythe and two minor leaguers -- outfielder Luke Raley and left-hander Devin Smeltzer.

In a separate trade, the Dodgers acquired right-handed reliever John Axford from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league right-hander Corey Copping.

Dozier and Axford join a Dodgers team that's in a tight race with Arizona in the NL West and aiming for a return trip to the World Series.

Dozier, who was the fifth player traded by the Twins in the past five days, is batting just .224 but has 16 home runs and 52 RBIs this season.

Dozier, 31, is scheduled to become a free agent after this season. The former All-Star has spent his entire seven-year career with the Twins, who shift their focus to the future amid a disappointing season.

Dozier and new teammate Manny Machado, who was acquired in a trade with the Orioles, have each hit 143 home runs since the start of 2014, tied for fourth among infielders in that span.

After the Twins lost a team-record 103 games in 2016, the Dodgers pursued Dozier that winter but settled for Forsythe in a trade with Tampa Bay instead. The Twins went on to make the playoffs, and the Dodgers were the National League champions.

Forsythe, though, has not panned out in Los Angeles. The 31-year-old, who has played second base, third base and first base this season and took some turns at shortstop and left field in 2017, hit .218 with just eight home runs, 49 RBIs and a .639 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 189 games with the Dodgers.

Forsythe will also be a free agent in the fall.

Raley, 23, is hitting .275 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs for Double-A Tulsa this season. Smeltzer, 22, is 5-5 with a 4.73 ERA in 23 appearances (14 starts) for Tulsa.

Th 35-year-old Axford (4-1) has made 45 appearances this season, striking out 50 in 51 innings while compiling a 4.41 ERA. He led the National League in saves with the Brewers in 2011 and has 144 career saves, but he's not been used as a closer role this season.

The veteran has also played for the Cardinals, Indians, Pirates, Rockies and Athletics during his career.

Cropping, 24, is 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA over 35 appearances in two levels of the Dodgers' system this season. He is currently at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.