With the MLB trade deadline less than 24 hours away, the Los Angeles Dodgers have already been linked to the likes of Mike Clevinger, Josh Hader and Lance Lynn.
The Cleveland Indians dealt Clevinger to the San Diego Padres on Monday morning, while the Milwaukee Brewers appear to primarily be gauging interest in Hader, and the Texas Rangers are likely to move Lynn before 1 p.m. PT on Monday afternoon.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and manager Dave Roberts have both said the team would focus on acquiring marquee talent that is under club control beyond 2020, if they were to make a move at all.
However, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, L.A. is pursuing smaller trades to acquire prospects:
And finally, the loaded Dodgers are attempting to zig while others zag, working on smaller deals in which they would part with some of their depth for prospects.
The Dodgers conceivably could acquire prospects that then are flipped as part of a separate trade, or they could simply have a goal of being opportunistic to further strengthen the organization’s crop of Minor League players.
On the depth front, the Dodgers have an excess number of starting and relief pitchers, as well as outfielders. That presumably was a factor in nearly trading Ross Stripling and Joc Pederson to the L.A. Angels back in spring.
Of course, while the Dodgers have depth on the starting pitching front, it may be in numbers only. Stripling and Julio Urias have battled consistency issues, and Alex Wood is on the 10-day injured list. In the bullpen, Pedro Baez and Joe Kelly are both sidelined.
Dodgers trade will have to move ‘needle’
When asked Sunday about potential trades, Roberts outlined what it would take for the team to complete a deal. “First and foremost, it’s got to be something for our club that’s going to move the needle,” he explained.
“We’ve got talent all around the roster, so something that potentially moves the needle. The way we work, one-month or two-month rental, just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. If something were to happen, most likely it’s someone we would have control of.”
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