With the non-waiver trade deadline only two days away, speculation is rampant and seemingly ever-changing. What does appear to hold true is the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in trading for a starter or relief pitcher, and possibly both.
Plenty of reports have connected the Dodgers to Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish, Oakland Athletics righty Sonny Gray and to a lesser extent Detroit Tigers veteran Justin Verlander. More recently, Miami Marlins starter Dan Straily has emerged as a potential backup option to Darvish and Gray.
Among relievers, the Dodgers appear to have interest in Baltimore’s Zach Britton, Detroit’s Justin Wilson and San Diego’s Brad Hand.
While it was reported Los Angeles is ‘bargain hunting’ ahead of Monday’s deadline, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes the team’s top targets remain Britton, Darvish and Gray:
Sources: #Dodgers’ three main targets are Darvish, Gray, Britton. Not necessarily in that order; decisions likely hinge on asking prices.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2017
To be clear: It’s possible #Dodgers end up with none of the three, and settle for lesser pieces. Fluid.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2017
To this point the New York Yankees appear the team that’s most focused on potentially trading for Gray. While there are some durability concerns, Gray, unlike Darvish, is under team control for multiple years. The 27-year-old is also enjoying a bounce-back season.
Interest across the league has cooled on Britton amid concerns he may still be suffering the effects of a forearm strain. He’s only appeared in 17 games this season and recorded six saves; one has come since returning from the disabled list July 5.
In addition to the Dodgers, the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals have been connected to Britton.
Darvish has a limited no-trade clause that allows him to block a deal with 10 teams. The Dodgers are not on that list, nor are other reported suitors Houston and the Yankees.
