With a lucrative payroll and one of the top farm systems in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been at the center of several trade rumors prior to Monday’s 1 p.m. PT non-waiver trade deadline.
Los Angeles, who currently sits two games back of the San Francisco Giants in the National League West, is believed to be looking to add a starting pitcher, reliever, and an outfielder before the deadline.
To provide rotation help, a potential solution may be found in the Tampa Bay Rays, as the Dodgers are said to be in contact with the Rays for Chris Archer or their other starters. The Dodgers are also believed to have circled back around to the Chicago White Sox to discuss a potential trade for ace Chris Sale.
In terms of acquiring an outfielder, the team reportedly was working on a three-team trade to acquire Jay Bruce of the Cincinnati Reds, but that likelihood has since faded.
Los Angeles reportedly expressed interest in Oakland’s Josh Reddick and Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez but little progress was made either.
While the Dodgers have pursued multiple avenues to improve their roster, manager Dave Roberts doesn’t believe there’s one area of need that takes precedent over others.
“I think that with our club, the way we’re playing, you can always improve. I think that our ballclub is as balanced as any club in all of baseball for me. You can always improve. There is really no one area I think that is bigger than the other for me,” Roberts said.
“Something could potentially happen, it might not. There is a lot of expectation, but I think for the guys in the clubhouse, we are focused on the guys we have in the clubhouse to win a baseball game. That can be our only focus. It’s not our decision on what happens or doesn’t happen.”
The perception has been the Dodgers would prioritize starting pitching considering they are without Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Alex Wood. Of the four southpaws, Anderson is likely to be the first to return.
