The majority of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup is locked in for the 2026 season, but they do have a hole to fill in their outfield.
Last offseason the Dodgers took a gamble on Michael Conforto as their everyday left fielder, but things didn’t work out. With Conforto once again on the free agent market, the Dodgers are searching for a way to improve in left field.
Kyle Tucker is the top available free agent and would slot in nicely to their lineup, but the Dodgers are unlikely to be involved in the sweepstakes for the star corner outfielder.
There are only a few quality options available to sign, and because of that, teams are likely to overpay to get a deal done with their targets.
But the Dodgers don’t seem intent on doing that, and it’s more likely they’ll address their outfield via the trade market, according to Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo of The Athletic:
At this stage of the winter, it seems that, if the Dodgers are going to address their outfield, it will likely be on the trade market.
There are some quality outfielders reportedly available for trade, including Steven Kwan from the Cleveland Guardians, the Boston Red Sox’ Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran, Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox, and a pair of St. Louis Cardinals in Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar.
The Minnesota Twins could also decide to ship out Byron Buxton, but at the moment, it seems they’re looking to add at this point, rather than sell.
The Dodgers have previously been connected to Kwan and made a push to acquire him at the 2025 trade deadline, and they’ve also been rumored to have interest in Robert Jr. and Donovan at previous points.
Given their previous advanced negotiations, a trade for Kwan could be the most likely to happen, but a deal with the Cardinals also makes a lot of sense for either Donovan or Nootbaar.
Cody Bellinger a solution for Dodgers?
If the Dodgers don’t match up on a trade, they also have not ruled out a reunion with Cody Bellinger, who is one of the top free agents available.
The Dodgers have interest in bringing Bellinger back, and the former National League MVP is said to be open to returning to L.A.
However, Bellinger is a popular name on the market with the New York Yankees focused on retaining him, so the cost may get higher than the Dodgers are willing to pay.
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