3 trade packages that can help Dodgers acquire Jose Ramirez

If the Los Angeles Dodgers are unable or unwilling to lure some of the big-name free agents to town when the lockout ends, there’s still a way for the front office to make a blockbuster-esque acquisition.

No, not Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Castillo, but we support that too. We were thinking Cleveland Guardians MVP Jose Ramirez, who has two years of control remaining at $12.5 million per season and should be on the trade block because of his team’s situation.

The Guardians couldn’t be further away from contention and they have no intention of spending big in free agency after refusing to extend Francisco Lindor to a nine-figure deal. Cleveland has just $43 million committed to the 2022 payroll despite being in the worst division in baseball and it’s clear they’re not going to try and get over the hump now while the Chicago White Sox are in a premier window.

Assuming the plan is to rebuild, the Dodgers are one of few teams who can held the Guardians expedite that process due to their deep farm system and collection of young MLB players. In terms of LA’s reason for interest, assuming the universal DH is approved, manager Dave Roberts could stand to keep Justin Turner off his feet so much after a hamstring injury derailed the end of his 2021 season. He can also hit free agency after 2022, so the Dodgers might want insurance there.

But more importantly, any time you have the chance to acquire an MVP-caliber player, you do it and then ask questions later. The Dodgers will find reps for Ramirez regardless of their situation.

These 3 Dodgers trade packages could help land Jose Ramirez from Guardians

3. Diego Cartaya, Ryan Pepiot, Clayton Beeter

Oh, did we mention this would be costly? Because it will be.

Like last season when the Dodgers parted with Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray for Trea Turner and Max Scherzer, they’ll have to do something similar for Ramirez since they will be getting two full years of him at a well-below-market price.

That means the Guardians will be shopping around for the best price and we’re not sure they can do a whole lot better than this:

• No. 1 prospect Diego Cartaya
• No. 2 prospect Ryan Pepiot
• No. 9 prospect Clayton Beeter

Arguably top catching prospect in all of baseball in Cartaya as well as two fast rising pitchers who could crack the bigs by 2023. The Guardians typically get the most out of their young arms, too. Cleveland’s next generation of players could make an impact as early as 2022, so bringing in another young haul of stars on the same trajectory could make this a swift, uniform rebuild.

Here’s a quick stat rundown of the three prospects:

• Cartaya – .288 average, .871 OPS with 14 homers and 53 RBI in 80 minor league games
• Pepiot – 4.11 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 158 strikeouts in 39 minor league games (124.2 innings)
• Beeter – 3.44 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 78 strikeouts in 28 minor league games (52.1 innings)

Maybe toss in one lottery ticket prospect if they won’t budge? The Dodgers can replenish this talent in two years and keep their window of contention wide open with Ramirez if this goes down. Best of both worlds.