Dodgers might've gotten perfect leverage to trade Ryan Ward to AL contender

The Dodgers calling Ryan Ward up during Freddie Freeman's brief absence on the paternity list was a nice gesture but little more.

They added him to the 40-man to keep him from leaving in minor league free agency, and Brandon Gomes vowed that they would find ways to get him at-bats, but that really just meant a two-day stint and six at-bats. It sort of felt like the front office was throwing fans a bone. "You wanted this guy through all of 2025? Here's one start."

He did get a proper start and collected two hits, including an RBI single, but he was never going to last long.

It led David Schoenfield at ESPN to make a trade plea to the Dodgers: just trade the poor guy. Given all of his promise in the minors, solid major league debut, and ranking at No. 19 in the Dodgers' pipeline, they could get a decent return for him.

And the Tigers may have just presented an opportunity. Their outfield depth was decimated in the span of just a few weeks, when all of Parker Meadows, former Dodger Zach McKinstry, and Javy Báez went onto the IL Detroit's pipeline is nothing to sniff at, and they could actually make use of Ward.

Dodgers should explore a Ryan Ward trade with Tigers after Detroit's outfield takes multiple hits

The Tigers replaced Meadows with another outfielder, but opted to call up two infielders to replace utility men McKinstry and Báez. Prospect-savvy fans might be wondering where Max Clark is; Detroit's president of baseball operations Scott Harris has made it abundantly clear the Tigers have no interest in rushing him up.

So they're plausibly fine for now, but say they lose Riley Greene or Matt Vierling? Their options aren't plentiful, and it seems like they know that, given the decision to promote infielders when that was already the most crowded part of their roster.

The Tigers have far more flexibility to give Ward a real runway than the Dodgers do, and their farm system is one of the better ones in baseball. And should Harris come calling, the Dodgers have the leverage the team that could just keep Ward on the 40-man indefinitely and keep saving him for a rainy day. Harris is a shrewd operator in his own right who wouldn't be quick to overpay, but the Dodgers would still hold the power in any given deal.

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