Complete grades for Dodgers' 2026 trade deadline that might've guaranteed three-peat

While the insiders were split on what the Los Angeles Dodgers' ultimate trade deadline strategy would be, there was a general sense that Andrew Friedman and company would be opportunistic at a minimum. That's a good way to describe how the proceedings went down.

Los Angeles clearly made the biggest splash by landing Tarik Skubal, but beyond that, there were several smaller deals that will have varying effects. What is readily apparent is that becoming the first National League team to win three straight World Series was top of mind.

Complete grades for Andrew Friedman's trade deadline moves to secure a Dodgers' three-peat

Dodgers acquire SP Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for minor leaguers OF Zyhir Hope, RHP River Ryan, and RHP Brady Smith. GRADE: A+

This wasn't a surprise, but it is a masterstroke by Friedman. Shohei Ohtani's retreat from pitching while he recovers from knee and biceps injuries pushed acquiring Skubal from a luxury to something that could be considered a necessity if you squint hard enough.

Doing it for less than most expected was exquisite. Keeping the reigning two-time AL Cy Young winner out of the Milwaukee Brewers' and other chief rivals' hands is exactly what teams that want to win at all costs do. No notes. Flawless.

Dodgers acquire LHP Kris Bubic from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league RHP Carlos Duran. GRADE: B

This one was the head-scratcher at first glance. Kris Bubic is currently on the 60-day IL and has had numerous setbacks as he recovers from a forearm injury. This seems questionable off the bat. But when you zoom out and look through the lens of asset management, you start to see the brilliance behind the move.

Bubic was stellar as a starter in 2025 with a 2.55 ERA over 20 starts. He was fantastic as a reliever in 2024, posting a 2.67 ERA over 30⅓ innings. The latter is how it seems the Dodgers will plan to use him. The real kicker, though, is pulling the thread on Carlos Duran.

LA originally signed the big righty out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, traded him last year to the Athletics for Esteury Ruiz, and then gobbled him back up as a minor league free agent over the winter. Essentially, they flipped the same player for assets twice, which is just incredible roster gymnastics. If Bubic gets healthy and becomes a factor in the playoff bullpen, we might have to revisit this grade.

Dodgers acquire C Ben Rortvedt from the New York Mets in exchange for minor league RHP Chayce McDermott. GRADE: B+

Admittedly a minor trade, but with Will Smith already on the IL and Dalton Rushing joining him, Los Angeles needed to do something to firm up the situation behind the plate. In acquiring Ben Rortvedt, they did just that. The sneaky-good part of the move is that Rortvedt already knows the pitching staff from his time in LA last year, removing one of the largest obstacles in successfully integrating a new catcher at the trade deadline.

Don't forget how well Dodgers' pitchers responded to him last season, or how he had leapfrogged Rushing in the postseason pecking order. Rortvedt might be a spare part, but he's a very useful one, and the Dodgers got him another spare part that they had no use for in Chayce McDermott.

Dodgers acquire C Hunter Feduccia and minor league RHP Jacob Kmatz from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor league OF Jack Suwinski and international bonus pool money. GRADE: A-

This is another instance of bringing back a player who is already familiar with the organization to solve a depth need. Hunter Feduccia may have only played a handful of games in the MLB with Los Angeles his first go around, but on a smaller scale the same thing that applies to Rortvedt applies to him. Basically, he already knows the organization's pitching philosophy.

The under-the-radar part of this trade, though is picking up Jacob Kmatz. The 23-year-old right-hander slides into the back of the Dodgers' top 30 prospects, ranking 27th. With that said, he has plus grades on his fastball, curve, and slider and has posted a 2.89 ERA across 53 innings split between High-A and Double-A this season.

He's come to that by striking out 35.7% of batters and issuing walks just 4.8% of the time. He's a serious relief prospect, so to get him plus an MLB-caliber backup catcher for a Quad-A outfielder is a big win.

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