3 Dodgers who could be squeezed off 40-man roster after huge 2026 trade deadline

With the likes of Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta all but guaranteed to be on the move at the deadline, all of baseball is going to side-eyeing the Dodgers.

Andrew Friedman has been going about his offseasons the same way for a few years now: acquire heavily so the front office doesn’t have to overexert itself at the trade deadline. For the most part, that’s been how things have worked out. The buzzer-beater trade for Jack Flaherty in 2024 was probably their biggest stretch in the last two years, but otherwise their 2024 and 2025 deadlines were largely underwhelming.

But the Dodgers are a threat simply by virtue of being the Dodgers. “Hanging around on the backboard” always means that if they find themselves in a position to pounce, they will.

Now that LA has secured Tarik Skubal, who’s to say that they won’t go in for more? And if they do, they’ll need to do a little housekeeping of the 40-man roster to fit all of their shiny new toys.

Fun fact: Prior to the Skubal trade, River Ryan was included on this initial list - and it was easy to see it coming. The Dodgers are rarely sentimental about their homegrown talent, but they make the occasional exception. Dalton Rushing, Josue De Paula, and Ryan all qualify as such, but the Skubal pursuit left them no choice but to change their tune.

He’s been injured on-and-off this season while trying to come back from Tommy John, but he showed just enough potential in his four major league starts back in 2024 to be a needle-mover in the biggest deal of the deadline. I guess the Dodgers could stomach letting him go after all.

Ryan Ward is a prime Dodgers trade candidate at 2026 deadline

Ward has spent all of 20 games in the majors, but he could still be an enticing kicker in any deal with a team looking for a major league-ready outfielder. His age (28) could be a concern, but if a team needs a little extra something to get a trade across the line, Ward is a perfect kicker. Who would say no to a highly controllable power threat if the Dodgers are just giving him away?

He hit .218 with a .738 OPS in his two small stints in the majors, largely buoyed by his .455 slugging percentage. Dodgers fans have been banging this drum for a long time, but it’s still true: LA has nowhere to put Ward in the long-term, and he still might be too good to stow away in the minors forever. Trading him would be a mercy.

The Dodgers’ bullpen could use an upgrade from Paul Gervase

Gervase, who was acquired in the Dodgers’ three-team trade with the Rays and Reds last year, has been subjected to the Dodgers’ bullpen carousel this entire season, having been recalled and optioned three times already. His appearances have been spare but nevertheless solid; he has a 2.35 ERA in 7 ⅔ innings and has been used for anywhere between ⅔ and three innings at a time.

He’s been trustworthy enough to call on when the Dodgers just need a fresh arm, but the solution here seems pretty simple: DFA him, then trade him for a minor league arm or cash. It’s almost guaranteed that a selling team in desperate need of bullpen help would be willing to make that deal.

Chayce McDermott has overstayed his welcome on the Dodgers’ roster

When the Dodgers traded for DFA’ed Orioles pitcher McDermott in April, it was clear LA was looking at him as a textbook reclamation project. He was a top-five prospect for Baltimore as recently as 2025, and although his major league numbers were hard to stomach (12.79 ERA in 12 ⅔ innings between 2024 and 2025), there was enough potential there for the Dodgers to sacrifice a minor league pitcher in the deal.

He’s been up twice this season, pitching a scoreless inning against the Angels in May and then a two-run 1 ⅓ innings against the Orioles in June. His 4.10 ERA in 26 ⅓ Triple-A innings isn’t pretty, either. Unlike Gervase, the Dodgers might just have to sacrifice him to the waiver wire without the possibility of a deal, but they could probably live with that.

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