The Los Angeles Dodgers hold the best record in Major League Baseball and seemingly have the resources to acquire any player who might become available ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
However, it is appearing increasingly likely that the club may be more likely to sell than buy in effort of improving their farm system.
According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Dodgers are looking to improve their middle infield, catching and starting pitching depth at the Minor League levels.
With Los Angeles looking to bulk up its minor-league system — middle infield, catching and upper-level starting pitching especially — trading Lauer could be an avenue to do so.
That the Dodgers have targeted these specific position groups does not come as a surprise. In a shift from recent years, the core of the organization’s top prospects is headlined by a group of outfielders rather than young pitchers. There also is a drop off among infielders and catchers in the Dodgers farm system.
A previous report suggested the team is specifically said to be in search of young talent with considerable upside rather than immediate-impact prospects.
If the Dodgers want to add prospects at the trade deadline, they will almost certainly look to deal from their Major League roster. Two potential trade candidates are Alex Call and Eric Lauer, who may see their roles reduced in the coming weeks with players returning from the injured list.
The Dodgers could be motivated to trade Lauer due to the left-hander not necessarily projecting to factor prominently in their postseason pitching plans. As for Call, he could become somewhat of a redundancy on the roster now that Kiké Hernández was activated on Tuesday.
Will the Dodgers buy at trade deadline?
Although it appears they are focused on improving their farm system at this year’s MLB trade deadline, the Dodgers could also attempt to add players.
One particular position of interest is catcher with Will Smith’s timeline for return still unclear. L.A. could add another backstop to compete with Eliezer Alfonzo and Chuckie Robinson for the backup role behind Dalton Rushing.
The Dodgers could also surprise the baseball world by acquiring Tarik Skubal if the Detroit Tigers entertain offers for him. Though, adding another starting pitcher could be less of a priority with Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell nearing returns.
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