Dodgers: 3 trade deadline targets that would make LAD truly unstoppable

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in baseball as pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training.

They’ll be the best team in baseball as the rest of the offense joins the fray, and they’ll be the best team in baseball when Opening Day arrives.

By the All-Star Break and the trade deadline? Yes, we expect the situation will be very similar.

But just because Dodgers fans are blessed right now to root for the sustainably good World Series champions doesn’t mean the roster can’t get better.

There aren’t “holes” in the roster, per se, but there are places where Los Angeles could go from “beast” to “juggernaut” — and if the opportunity arises, why wouldn’t Andrew Friedman and Co. continue to go for broke?

After all, LA did lose a few key pieces from the team that hoisted the Commish’s hunk of metal last October, and reunited (reluctantly?) with the aging Justin Turner, so it would be fair to expect a spot of regression from the Beard.

The starting rotation is merciless, featuring Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Trevor Bauer and David Price up top, with plenty of young depth behind them. But what if Kershaw’s contract year looks a little different? What if his body begins betraying him after finally accomplishing his career-long goal last October? What if the team trades Price for salary relief? What if Bauer doesn’t look like the same guy he did mid-pandemic?

The questions begin to pile up if you go looking for them. Like an actor entering the plastic surgery chair, an aggressive team can always convince itself to spend more and patch up the roster beyond the point of recognition.

The Dodgers are the best they’ve arguably ever been right now. But they could theoretically get even better at the deadline. Here’s how.

The Dodgers could get even better at the MLB Trade Deadline.

Joey Gallo #13 of the Texas Rangers (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

3. Joey Gallo

Want to replace Joc Pederson’s left-handed power in the outfield for 100+ games per year? The eternally-rebuilding Rangers are here to help, offering the final year and a half of Joey Gallo’s not-that-onerous escalating arbitration cost.

Gallo is an extremely valuable player in the modern game, providing 40-45-homer power from the left side, Gold Glove defense, the ability to slip into center field if need be, and excellent on-base skills. Durability and the propensity to swing and miss are his only real question marks, but ask yourself: is it really possible to swing and miss more often than Pederson? The Dodgers managed to make that work.

And durability is less of an issue when the rest of a team’s extremely strong roster is constructed around the idea that you don’t have to play every day.

Gallo seems destined to end up somewhere in exchange for a package that doesn’t jibe with his actual value, so why not start beating the drum to get him to Los Angeles?

This team is nearly perfect, but they’ll be relying on unproven talent to fill Pederson’s gap. Gallo’s a clone of the departed slugger who’s likely better — though we have no idea if he’ll make the postseason into Galloctober.

Other than that, it’s an excellent fit.

Richard Rodriguez #48 of the Pittsburgh Pirates (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

2. Richard Rodriguez

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ fire sale is never really over, considering every time they forge some semblance of a roster, the salesmanship begins anew.

Though they’ve already traded Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon to contenders in the Padres and Yankees this offseason, and offloaded slugger Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals, there are still a few pieces they can look to move midseason.

Expect lefty Steven Brault and righty Chad Kuhl to be among the next to depart, as well as 30-year-old bullpen flamethrower Richard Rodriguez who — sad to say — definitely does not have a place on the next great Pirates team.

Probably … probably none of these people do.

Could the Dodgers beef up their bullpen with Richard Rodriguez?

Rodriguez has been excellent the past three seasons, dominating in both 2018 and 2020 after a slight step back in ’19 (3.72 ERA, 5.22 FIP, about a strikeout per inning). In those two exceptional years, though, the righty whiffed 122 men in 92.2 innings pitched, and comes with three years of control still under his belt.

Not to be confused with the Night Stalker, Rodriguez would be a far less ominous presence in LA, unless you’re an opposing batter in the seventh inning or later.

The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series thanks to several likely starters soaking up key bullpen innings, but that won’t be possible over the course of a full season.

Add Rodriguez to Joe Kelly, Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol, Victor Gonzalez and Kenley Jansen, and you truly have near-unrivaled depth. All of a sudden.

Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

1. Luis Castillo

N-no, right? This couldn’t actually happen? The Dodgers go four deep with All-Stars in the rotation, with a trio of Cy Young winners.

Sure. As it stands on Opening Day, Los Angeles would not mortgage the farm for Luis Castillo of the Cincinnati Reds, a genuine ace with three more years of control attached to him.

But there’s a very good chance the Reds grow more desperate as a slog of a 2021 season drags on, and move from reticent to enthusiastic about finding trade partners. Andrew Friedman would never take the Castillo chance at his current value, but what if the Reds start initiating conversations and look for a taker instead?

What if the Dodgers traded for Luis Castillo? No, really?

Plus, the Dodgers rotation looks like one of the best in franchise history on paper, but we’re still a month and a half away from taking it off paper in any capacity. Will Kershaw look the same at age 33 with the World Series motivation lifted off his shoulders? Will David Price even be in the rotation on Opening Day, considering he’s owed $16 million from a Dodgers team that’s currently spending a remarkable $260 million this season after the Bauer and Turner deals?

And speaking of Bauer, he was spectacular in 2020! He was also never that good before. He sported a 6.39 ERA in the second half of 2019. Let’s see what happens.

Castillo would be a grand slam in a season’s worth of home run moves, and at the moment, it’s hard to envision the chips falling in this manner.

But let’s see what all the hype is about when the campaign opens. Let’s see if Price remains a part of the puzzle. And let’s see how willing the Reds are to talk turkey as their season crumbles.

Certainly, adding the changeup artist could be the move that ensures a Dodgers dynasty instead of merely hinting at one.

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 27: Kenley Jansen #74 of the Los Angeles Dodgers comes into the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

Dodgers: 4 players that could be traded in salary dump deals

The Los Angeles Dodgers may look to dump some salary after signing Trevor Bauer and as a result, these four players could be on the move.

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