Dodgers’ NL West rival jumping into Matt Olson trade talks

The Los Angeles Dodgers could use some first base insurance this offseason, especially with the Universal DH arriving to help Max Muncy’s recovery.

Maybe a shiny, new Freddie Freeman is en route, as his disillusionment with the Atlanta Braves reaches an all-time high?

Or, perhaps, the Dodgers will just pull another page out of their 2021 playbook and again block their rival San Diego Padres from making a maneuver, right as they reach the edge of relevance.

Per sources, a surge in Matt Olson trade rumors has coincided with the corresponding Freeman news (well, a relative surge, considering the world is still locked out).

This latest varietal connects Olson to the Padres, a team that had better hurry with the discussions once the lockout is lifted, considering Freeman’s status could dictate everything here.

Including competition from both LA and Atlanta.

Dodgers Rumors: A’s losing Matt Olson to San Diego Padres?

Good? Bad? More Freddie Freeman for us?

Whoever desires Olson most will likely have to work quickly, considering his name will not stay attached to the Braves star’s for very long.

Based on the increased chatter regarding both names as the lockout grows longer — specifically regarding the Braves spectacularly fumbling the bag on Freeman — the more likely it appears that his shoe might drop basically right out of the gate.

After all, somebody’s talking. There’s a reason the “belief” is “growing” that he’s going to leave ATL.

Dennis Lin of The Athletic first publicly connected the Olson-Padres dots this week, noting that the fit exists (if San Diego shops Eric Hosmer, which most suspect they will) and that GM AJ Preller has already done his due diligence in reaching out to Oakland management.

Whenever the veil is lifted, Oakland has a lot of business to do — hence, the reason their old skipper Bob Melvin is now in … San Diego himself.

Well, well, well … it all makes sense.

If Freeman departs his current team the second the lockout is lifted, the Dodgers had better hope he chooses them and that Olson, a Georgia boy, heads back to the Peach State instead of the NL West. Things could get very sloppy very quickly.

1 trade Dodgers can make with each NL West rival

The Los Angeles Dodgers might be hated in the NL West, but they possess a healthy farm system that can help out their division rivals in a trade.