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

Thomas Carannante|
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 14: Brandon Drury #22 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by teammate Luis Castillo #58 after Drury fielded a hit by DJ LeMahieu of the New York Yankees for the out in the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium on July 14, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 14: Brandon Drury #22 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by teammate Luis Castillo #58 after Drury fielded a hit by DJ LeMahieu of the New York Yankees for the out in the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium on July 14, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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Juan Soto, Los Angeles Dodgers
Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

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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