Given the several injuries that ravaged their starting rotation, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ primary focus appeared to be on acquiring a pitcher prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline. However, the club was also linked to multiple outfielders.
The Dodgers wound up addressing their needs in a singular deal by acquiring Rich Hill and Josh Reddick from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for three pitching prospects. Reddick, like Jay Bruce and Carlos Gonzalez, whom the Dodgers reportedly had interest in, bats left-handed.
That went against their reported search for a right-handed hitter to add depth to their lineup against a left-handed starter. That played a role in A.J. Ellis getting traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Carlos Ruiz.
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers discussed a trade centered around Ryan Braun and may revisit those talks, though a hurdle does exist:
“The Dodgers, according to sources, talked to the Brewers about a trade for Ryan Braun before the non-waiver deadline. Braun has cleared waivers, the Dodgers still need a right-handed bat, so why not try again? The problem with Braun is trying to figure out an appropriate value from a financial perspective. He’s owed $76 million over the next four years. A team that wants Braun would likely want that discounted considering he’ll be 33 next season. It’s difficult to imagine the Brewers giving a high-revenue team like the Dodgers, something like $20 million in a trade.”
In May it was reported the Dodgers are on Braun’s list of teams approved for a trade. However, in July, Los Angeles was said to not have interest in Braun.
Any trade at this stage of the season would need to be completed by Wednesday so that the players involved would be eligible for the postseason.
Braun is batting .318/.379/.557 with 21 doubles, 24 home runs and 74 RBI in 107 games this season. Whether Braun lands in Los Angeles may very well be tied to Yasiel Puig’s future with the club.
However, as Rosenthal speculates with Braun, the Dodgers might not make a decision on Puig until the offseason. Manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday the club had yet to make a decision on whether Puig will be included in September call-ups.
