Ranking Dodgers’ rumored trade targets ahead of Aug. 2 deadline

After sweeping the San Francisco Giants over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers now have one less direct competitor to deal with on the trade market. What a turn of events.

That’s significant, because many were expecting the division rivals to go toe-to-toe on some in-demand trade targets, but now the Giants would be crazy to buy hovering at .500 in a stacked NL playoff race.

Nonetheless, there will still be plenty of teams lining up to pay a premium to upgrade their roster for the final two months of the regular season and playoffs. The Dodgers have multiple areas to address, so fans can expect Andrew Friedman to be involved in multiple conversations concerning starting pitching, relief pitching and positional depth over the next week.

As of now, the Dodgers have been linked to a number of players via reports and rumors. Dodgers Twitter has done its best to add some other candidates to the list and speak other scenarios into existence, but for the purpose of this exercise, we’re only going to include those who have been mentioned by insiders when ranking LA’s potential trade targets before Aug. 2.

Hopefully more are added to this group in the coming days, but as of right now, here’s where LA’s priorities might lie (combined with the talent level they might be working with).

Ranking the Dodgers’ rumored trade targets before Aug. 2 deadline

5. Brandon Drury

With Chris Taylor out for a little while longer thanks to a broken foot, Brandon Drury has been a name the Dodgers were reportedly considering. The Cincinnati Reds slugger has logged reps at first base, second base, third base, shortstop and right field in 2022 and could be a valuable utility option for LA.

Perhaps overvalued because of his .274 average, .850 OPS, 126 OPS+, 18 homers and 54 RBI in 84 games thus far, Drury might have a bit of “buyer beware” attached to him. He’s quite literally never performed this well in his entire career (and this is his eighth season) and the Reds are more than likely going to ask for a haul for two months of the soon-to-be 30-year-old.

Then again, there’s no denying his defensive versatility, and if he’s been able to mash like this alongside a lackluster group of Reds hitters, just imagine what he could do with endless protection in the Dodgers’ lineup?

Such a deal will take finessing, because the Dodgers shouldn’t overpay here when Trayce Thompson is taking care of business just fine.

4. Whit Merrifield

Per MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Dodgers have looked into Royals utility man Whit Merrifield. Perfect timing or … worst possible timing?

Merrifield is on pace to put together the worst season of his career. He’s lagging behind in every major statistic, most notably his stolen bases (14 in 87 games) after leading the league in that category three times since 2017. The veteran is hitting just .245 with a .646 OPS, 82 OPS+, 47 runs scored, 5 homers and 39 RBI in 2022.

It’s potential good timing because the Dodgers could buy low if the Royals are willing to part. It’s potential bad timing because if Merrifield can’t turn it around, then this would be a wasted acquisition.

Then again, his versatility is where he’s most valuable. He’s played second base, right field and center field this year and has played plenty of left field in the past. Per Statcast, he ranked in the 84th percentile for sprint speed, 63rd percentile for outs above average, and 75th percentile for outfielder jump. He also almost never strikes out (86th percentile for K%) and has perhaps been getting a bit unlucky so far (71st percentile for expected batting average).

Merrifield also comes controllable through at least 2023 (he has an $18 million mutual option for 2024), but will make just a $2.75 million base in 2023 with $4 million in incentives. Those will be his age-34 and -35 seasons, so perhaps the Royals are willing to move off of him to make room for some more young talent while also getting a return/shedding some salary while they continue to stink.

2. Luis Castillo

Andrew Heaney might be returning and Dustin May might be going on a rehab assignment, but is that really enough for the Dodgers to rip through October? Most realistic fans would vote “no” on that.

There are other question marks, too. Will Clayton Kershaw hold up for the remainder of the year after dealing with so many injuries the last few years? Will Walker Buehler be able to return and be as effective as fans are used to him being? Is Tony Gonsolin an actual reliable arm to use as a starter in a postseason game? Might Tyler Anderson be more effective out of the bullpen come October?

That’s where the potential need for Luis Castillo comes in. The Reds’ right-hander would give the Dodgers insurance in the event one of Kershaw/Buehler can’t be their usual ace selves and also allows manager Dave Roberts to take pressure off every other arm.

Castillo might be the most sought-after arm on the market (because he’s also controllable through 2023), but he’s worth the price. He offers elite No. 2 starter production at a cost-effective price (less than $3.5 million this year post-trade and then ~$10 million in 2023) and provides the rotation with another true impact arm in a playoff series.

Are Gonsolin, Anderson and Heaney assets? Absolutely. Would you trust one of them to take the mound in Game 4 of a playoff series with the Dodgers trailing 2-1? No, you simply would not. Having Urías in that spot, assuming Buehler returns and can be effective, is the true “contender” move. Adding Castillo does exactly that, and the price shouldn’t really matter given the immediate need.

1. Juan Soto

You can’t not rank Soto No. 1. He’s one of the best players in baseball and is reportedly on the block (with the Dodgers reportedly interested) with 2.5 years of control left. This is a literal once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Should the Dodgers do it? That’s the conundrum. LA needs another outfielder, but to empty the farm for a player of this magnitude they don’t necessarily need could affect their other endeavors on the market when it comes to upgrading the pitching staff (which is arguably more important).

According to the latest buzz, the Nationals are asking for a team’s top four prospects, some younger major league talent, and potentially someone willing to eat Patrick Corbin’s contract. In essence, if the Dodgers were to chase Soto, they’d be giving up an enormous portion of the top prospects in their farm system (assuming they also chase the pitching they so desperately need).

Then again, Soto’s addition on offense could (could!) negate the need for more pitching … because who’s stopping a starting lineup of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner, Juan Soto, Gavin Lux and Justin Turner to kick things off? The answer is nobody. Maybe Max Scherzer could escape by giving up three runs over seven innings in a best-case scenario.

Soto landing in LA would also give the franchise the necessary time to buy before inking him to an extension. They can wait it out until the 2024 season and see where things are going, keeping their payrolls being extremely flexible over the next few years. If not, they built a super team for 2022, 2023 and 2024 with a legitimate chance to win multiple World Series.

If the Dodgers can execute a near-flawless plan, they could end up with far and away the best roster in MLB.

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