Dodgers: 3 trade candidates LAD shouldn’t focus on

The Los Angeles Dodgers are going to shop like a contender at this year’s deadline, picking up enough reinforcements to stock their war chest for a title defense.

If a massive player ends up on the market (no, not Trevor Story from within the division’s walls), they’ll probably be all over those conversations, too. That’s what a presumptive favorite does, especially when the Giants and Padres from within the division are also contender-ish.

We know the areas LA needs to focus on. They need as much relief reinforcement as possible — Kenley Jansen, Blake Treinen and Blake Treinen’s worrisome WHIP can’t go it alone in October.

We know the Dodgers could also use additional power bats, lefty run-producers and outfield insurance. When it comes time to mix and match in the postseason, Joc Pederson and Kiké Hernández won’t be there. Yoshi Tsutsugo ain’t it.

Just a few weeks ago, LA jumped on both Tsutsugo and Albert Pujols, and while Pujols has exceeded expectations, that clearly wasn’t part of the plan when they broke camp. “Oh, an aging Hall of Famer on his last legs is available? Go, go, go!”

That willingness to leap at some move, any move, proved the “best roster in baseball” entering 2021 actually isn’t a finished product yet.

Thanks to the second Wild Card, a bizarre number of teams are still in the playoff mix, though you know which teams will absolutely be selling: the Pirates, Marlins, Rangers, Rockies, Orioles, and … Minnesota Twins? What a world.

Expect the Dodgers to come calling about everyone’s relievers and potent, versatile bats. Expect a few names to put on Dodger Blue for the first time Aug. 1.

Can these couple of players please not be a part of the spectacle, though?

The Dodgers should avoid these 3 midseason trade traps.

Tanner Scott #66 of the Baltimore Orioles (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

3. Tanner Scott

The Baltimore Orioles might be open for business, but unless the Dodgers want to pry John Means out of the rotation, we’re not sure if they should take longer than a cursory look here.

Tanner Scott, a flame-throwing lefty with three years of control left on his ledger, certainly fits the bill as a potential acquisition, especially since he’s followed up a shortened 2020 with a hilarious 361 ERA+ with a 143 mark thus far this season.

Ascendant reliever, it would seem! But there’s reason to be cautious. This should not be LA’s overpay.

Scott’s WHIP is a sky-high 1.543, and based on his career trajectory, last year’s numbers seem to be the lone outlier. Marks of 1.785 and 1.556 preceded 2020, and there are more busts than booms on the lefty’s overall resumé. Even last season, his FIP of 3.48 portended a much worse mark than his sparkling 1.31 ERA.

If the Dodgers are going to risk it all with a deadline addition, they’re going to want someone who can slot directly into the seventh inning, and occasionally the eighth and ninth, in the most heated possible playoff games. What they shouldn’t be interested in is a wild child reliever who’s spent his entire career developing with the Orioles, whose most competitive games are angry Yankees rivalry contests in mid-April. Doesn’t seem worth it for the high-leverage opportunities he’d be asked to cover; Richard Rodriguez of the Pirates is a much better option here.

1. Joey Gallo

Take a look at Joey Gallo this weekend, Dodgers fans. See what you like. Make sure your eyes are peeled open every time he comes to bat. Give him the Barry Bonds treatment and don’t get your soda during his plate appearances.

Take note every time he shifts defensively, too. Left to right. Right to first. First to … center? Gallo finds himself in a lot of places, but we’re not sure his swing-and-miss potency is worth the cost, especially if the team plans to rotate him around as a de facto fourth outfielder, leading to constant interruptions in his rhythm.

Ask the Yankees about what happens when they give Giancarlo Stanton days off. Doesn’t usually go well when he returns.

Gallo is hitting .210 with a 117 OPS+ this season, and will be locked down through next season, too, for whoever makes the move. Without the Universal DH, though, he’ll be messing with LA’s ideal alignment — which, for our money, features Chris Taylor in left, and both Gavin Lux and Corey Seager in the infield when all parties are healthy. If Gallo joins the roster, he’ll be bumping one of those players to the bench, or occupying the pine himself.

He won’t come cheap, either. Your top tier of prospects are probably off limits, but the Rangers will expect a Diego Cartaya type, plus a Bobby Miller bullpen/rotation lottery ticket. Is that worth it for a redundancy who mashes up the outfield depth chart? We’re not so sure.

Again, though, take a detailed look this weekend. You might disagree.

Dodgers: 3 top prospects most likely to be traded this year

The Los Angeles Dodgers are going to have to make upgrades this trade deadline, and these three top prospects seem most likely to go.