Dodgers: 3 trade deadline targets LAD need to pass on

Coming off a nine-game winning streak that propelled them to the summit of the NL West standings, the Los Angeles Dodgers ran into a buzzsaw in the Miami Marlins (?), dropping three of four against a team that has quietly become their kryptonite in recent seasons.

The good news? Well, that’s been hard to come by for the Dodgers.

Not only has Corey Seager’s return been delayed until after the All-Star Break, but Trevor Bauer is essentially off the roster (due to his severe transgressions) and Clayton Kershaw is on the shelf with elbow inflammation.

With the Giants poised to continue their resurgence until the end of the season, the Dodgers should be striving to leapfrog them atop the division by the end of the year. After all, the team with the biggest payroll in MLB should NOT be playing in a Wild Card Game.

In order to spearhead their second half surge, the Dodgers figure to be active at the upcoming trade deadline, so their roster is as deep as possible come playoff time.

The Dodgers clearly don’t care much about eclipsing the luxury tax threshold, but that doesn’t mean they should spend their money willy-nilly. In fact, there are a couple of trade candidates out there that the front office should pass on.

The Dodgers should pass on these three trade candidates.

3. Michael Fulmer

Make no mistake about it: the Dodgers will be looking to bolster their bullpen at the deadline, and they should have their pick of the litter in terms of targets. After all, if you take a quick look around MLB, well, let’s just say a lot of teams could be selling leading up to July 31.

We pegged Michael Fulmer as an ideal target for Los Angeles a few months ago given his ability to start games or appear out of the bullpen. The 28-year-old righty has made 25 appearances (four starts) for the Tigers this season and has surprisingly struggled to rebound from a disaster 2020 campaign in which he posted an 8.78 ERA and a 2.060 WHIP.

The Dodgers should steer clear of Michael Fulmer at the deadline.

Talent has never been the question with Fulmer. While injuries certainly haven’t helped his development, the former first-round pick has never (aside from a promising first two years) become the consistent, dominant starter the Tigers hyped him up to be as a youngster.

In 25 games this season, Fulmer has a 4.05 ERA and 1.300 WHIP. His strikeout numbers are impressive (9.5 K’s per nine innings), but he’s also given up 41 hits (!) in 40 innings of work.

For a team hoping to win their second straight championship, the Dodgers have no reason to settle at the deadline, and trading for Fulmer would qualify as that. We’d much rather see LAD pursue Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez or someone of that caliber.