Dodgers Rumors: Division rival emerging as possible trade partner with LA

During the offseason, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said that the front office had stockpiled talent in part to avoid a busy trade deadline, but that was never totally believable. The Dodgers are gluttons for talent, and they were always likelly to need reinforcements when the postseason picture clarified by the end of July.

Now, with all of the injuries to their pitching staff and some unexpectedly bad performances by a few key players, making a couple of big moves by July 31 is basically a given.

MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported that, presumably to address the latter, the Dodgers (along with the Cubs and unnamed others) have expressed some amount of interest in Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon and are "closely monitoring" him.

McMahon is currently batting .206 with a .708 OPS but is still tied with Hunter Goodman at 1.0 bWAR, and they're two of just five Rockies position players who are performing above replacement level. McMahon has spent his entire career in Colorado, which might have something to do with the fact that he went three straight seasons with 20+ homers, but he's also a strong defensive infielder.

Dodgers reportedly interested in Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon

If McMahon does come to the Dodgers, that immediately presents a problem for two current players: Miguel Rojas and Max Muncy. Rojas would be the easier one to cut, given his lower salary, and the Dodgers have already DFA'd two veterans in the span of a few days, so it seems that they're letting go of some of their old sentimentality for the good of club. Rojas isn't exactly repeating the same success he managed to find at the plate last year and is the weakest link on the bench now that Chris Taylor is gone.

Muncy has picked things up significantly since the beginning of May after batting .194 with a .610 OPS by the end of April. His .240 average and .781 OPS this month makes him look a little more like his usual self, but he's going to need to rediscover some of the power he's made his name on if he wants to survive the same fate as Taylor and Austin Barnes.

There's no question that the Rockies are going to be selling at the deadline, but if multiple contenders are in on him, it's just a question of where he'll end up. The Dodgers have some strong trade candidates they could use to pull off a deal for McMahon (who probably won't cost much anyway), and he could be an upgrade from Rojas or Muncy if they don't start delivering consistently.