Checking in on all of the Dodgers' top trade assets before the 2026 deadline

The MLB Draft has come and gone, and as new prospect rankings surface across the industry, one thing keeps becoming clearer: the Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system isn't just holding steady — it's getting better.

Nine prospects in MLB's top 100, the most of any organization in baseball, gives Andrew Friedman a kind of deadline currency no other team can match. The two-time defending World Series champions already have one of the best rosters in baseball, and now they have the best minor-league system to deal from as well.

Even Dave Roberts has acknowledged the team is in such a strong position that they could approach the deadline as buyers or sellers depending on organizational needs and roster construction. That flexibility — the ability to go in any direction — is what happens when you have this much depth to work with.

6 Dodgers prospects who could be moved before the 2026 trade deadline

The starting point for any deadline conversation are the two names that the Dodgers likely will not move: Josué De Paula (MLB No. 4) and Mike Sirota (MLB No. 11) are as close to untouchable as prospects come, confirmed off the table by multiple insiders. Everything else below them is a conversation based on fit and need. Here's where the five most relevant names stand.

Eduardo Quintero, Dodgers OF prospect

Eduardo Quintero seems to be the name that keeps climbing across every outlet. MLB.com has him at No. 19, The Athletic's post-draft top-70 update has him at No. 15 and Baseball America's most recent update has him at No. 17. That's a consensus top-20 national prospect — and the Dodgers can deal him from a position of outfield surplus without touching their most protected names.

Quintero is 20 years old, hitting .292 with an .885 OPS and 36 bags at High-A, with premium athleticism, plus speed and projectable right-handed power. A team acquiring him is getting legitimate franchise-caliber talent at a price the Dodgers can absorb because of how deep this system is. This is the name that could headline a blockbuster, if the Dodgers go that route.

Emil Morales, Dodgers SS prospect

Emil Morales is not an outfielder, and that distinction matters more than any ranking, in my opinion. He's the only premium infield prospect in this entire top group, and in a system overflowing with outfield talent, that positional scarcity makes him uniquely valuable.

Morales is also 19 years old, handling High-A pitching, with legitimate power projection and the ability to stay at shortstop or develop into a long-term third baseman with a bat that plays anywhere on the diamond. He's the face-of-the-franchise type you build around, not the piece you deal for a rental.

Zyhir Hope, Dodgers OF prospect

Zyhir Hope has already clipped over 20 homers, has 80-plus RBIs with 17 stolen bases at Double-A — some of the best offensive numbers of any Dodgers prospect currently in the system. At 5-foot-10 he's the physically undersized name in this outfield group, which is the honest ceiling question that follows him against more projectable peers.

With the Dodgers' big-league outfield locked up through contract, and some of the other outfielders being off the table, Hope is one of the names multiple outlets have confirmed is likely to be shopped.

James Tibbs III, Dodgers OF prospect

We have talked about James Tibbs III before, and while his break-out season is exciting and fun to dream on, this is the ideal time to flip him. The situation is straightforward: there's no path to the Dodgers' big-league outfield with Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages and Kiké Hernández under contract and Tibbs is MLB-ready.

Multiple beat writers have confirmed he's among the most likely to be moved, and a 24-year-old, former first-round pick you acquired in a trade is at the absolute peak of his market. If the Dodgers are ever trading him, it should be now to get the proper fit.

River Ryan, Dodgers RHP prospect

River Ryan made his MLB debut in 2024 with a 1.33 ERA across four starts before Tommy John surgery cost him 2025. In eight starts at Triple-A, he has 43 Ks in 36 innings where he is featuring his mid to upper 90's heater and a five-pitch mix, making him the most major-league ready pitching chip in the system.

With the Dodgers' rotation stacked seven deep, there's no clear path to a starting role. ESPN's McDaniel named him as one the arms likely to move if Los Angeles wants to land a frontline piece.

Who should the Dodgers actually move?

The realistic answer is likely: Hope, Tibbs and Ryan. Hope is blocked by the big-league outfield and carries a ceiling question that makes now a logical time to sell. Tibbs is having a career year with nowhere to play and his value may never be higher. Ryan's 20-inning MLB audition and Triple-A resurrection make him the most compelling sell-high pitching story in the system, and with no rotation spot available, converting that value into a major-league need is exactly what a championship organization does.

As much as I think De Paula, Sirota, and some others should be untouchable, nothing surprises me anymore. I wouldn’t be shocked if the front office swaps some of these elite prospects, and adds depth at other positions. Everything is on the table — and Friedman has a lot of options to deal from.

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