With the non-waiver deadline less than 24 hours away, trade rumors have begun to pick up throughout baseball. True to what Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said would be the case, the Dodgers have been linked to several players.
Indications are Los Angeles is in search of a starting pitcher, reliever, and outfielder. The frequency with which Dodgers are mentioned in various reports suggests the club is focused on bolstering their rotation and/or landing an outfielder.
At this stage the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays are at the forefront with starting pitchers who may be available. Though, how interested either club is in moving one of their pitchers is questionable.
The Dodgers at one point or another have been reported as having interest in Rays pitchers Chris Archer and Matt Moore, and White Sox ace Chris Sale. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Los Angeles continues to pursue a trade for Archer:
Sources: #Dodgers pursuing #Rays’ Archer. One of many pitching options under consideration. Likely weighing values of other TB starters too.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2016
That’s corroborated by Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, who adds talks for Sale has subsided:
dodgers talking about archer and/or moore from TB, as @jaysonst @Ken_Rosenthal said. not much Sale talk around LAD lately
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2016
Archer and Sale are both under team control for multiple seasons after 2016. The right-hander has club options on his deal for 2020 and 2021, while Sale’s contract includes team options for 2018 and 2019.
