Dodgers fans have eye on new blockbuster trade that will surely spur outrage

Trade deadline chatter is heating up, and of course, the Los Angeles Dodgers are front and center. All eyes are on Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, and the rumblings are that the Dodgers are the front-runners. Some fans, though, have their eyes on a different prize, and it might make even more sense than going after the superstar ace.

A vocal contingent is advocating for Los Angeles to go out and get Kansas City Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. It's a move that would set the MLB world on fire, even more so than a Skubal trade would.

Witt became the poster child for small market teams locking up their stars when he signed an 11-year, $288.8 million contract that could balloon to a 14-year, $377 million pact via a series of options on the back end. It was an aggressive move, locking the superb shortstop prior to him even hitting arbitration.

Trading him now, to the Dodgers of all people, just as he's entering his prime at 26 years old, would cause a backlash from the "Dodgers ruin baseball" crowd, unlike anything we've ever seen. The perception would be that Los Angeles is taking advantage of the backloaded nature of Witt's deal to give Kansas City a proverbial second chance to rethink their enormous financial decision.

Witt is making just $14.1 million this season, with his salary ballooning to $20.1 million in 2027 in what would've been the former No. 2 overall pick's final year of arbitration. That means the amount he's due skyrockets to $31.1 million in 2028, and then fluctuates between $33 million and $36 million annually through 2034.

Such a trade would confirm the assumption that only a handful of teams aside from the Dodgers can truly afford a $30-plus million annual salary for just one player.

MLB Fans would riot if the Dodgers pulled off an unlikely deal for Bobby Witt Jr.

The Royals have fallen to 22-38, good for last place in the AL Central. With that said, they came into the year intending to compete, and there is still a lot of time left in the season. That has folks believing that they're living in baseball no-man's land. Their division and the American League are mediocre enough that they can't be counted out from coming back and making a postseason push.

At the same time, the Dodgers vaunted farm system has enough MLB-ready talent that they could reset around their young core and quickly return to contention with a more well-rounded team.

For the Dodgers, the fit is picture-perfect. Mookie Betts has been mired in a terrible slump and has seen his power sapped since contracting a stomach virus during the Tokyo Series at the beginning of last season. Perhaps moving him back to the outfield or over to second base could take some of the physical toll off of him and get him back on track.

Additionally, Witt would add an element of speed that the Dodgers don't currently possess. Los Angeles ranks 27th with 26 stolen bases so far this season, while Witt has swiped 19 bags by himself.

The chances of this happening are slim. The Royals would have to wave the white flag on 2026, and likely 2027, too, in order to consider parting with one of the game's most electrifying players. On top of that, they'd get their fair share of backlash for trading away their highest-paid player and brightest star, though of course, the Dodgers would be the ultimate villain in this scenario. Don't count on a deal, no matter how intriguing it seems.

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