Dodgers Rumors: LA expected to renew failed trade deadline chase of Guardians star

Everyone expected Dodgers to have an active trade deadline, but July 30 came and went quietly for LA's front office. They only traded for two players who were immediately added to the 26-man roster (Alex Call and Brock Stewart) and only gave up three major leaguers who didn't have much of a future in the organization anyway (Hunter Feduccia, James Outman, and Dustin May).

Bob Nightengale reported a few days later that the Dodgers were in very serious discussions with the Guardians for left fielder Steven Kwan, but they couldn't make it happen before the deadline. Getting Kwan would've been one of the biggest moves of the deadline as a whole, and the front office's preoccupation with it might explain their lack of movement in other areas.

Kwan would've been the perfect replacement for Michael Conforto in left field, which made Dodgers fans all the more eager for them to get a trade across.

Even with Conforto gone in free agency and rumored plans to be aggressive with top free agent Kyle Tucker, the Dodgers reportedly aren't giving up yet. According to Nightengale, LA will resume discussions for Kwan this offseason.

Dodgers are expected to pursue Guardians' Steven Kwan after trade deadline talks fell through

The Dodgers are basically always chasing a white whale. For a while it was Dylan Cease, then it was Luis Robert Jr., then it was Tommy Edman, and now it seems to be Kwan. Kwan and Edman fill out a similar profile — talented defensive players who are better contact than power hitters.

Both Kwan and Tucker will be tough gets in different ways. No doubt all of the high-spending teams who need an outfielder will come after Tucker, and he could easily be swayed by one of the others in free agency. The Guardians will surely have a fair number of suitors for Kwan, but not all of them have the same amount of prospect capital as the Dodgers.

It does seem to be an either/or situation with Kwan and Tucker — if they can't get a trade done they'll press harder on Tucker; if they can't sway Tucker with a contract offer they'll offer more to Cleveland for Kwan. Getting both would create an outfield glut that the roster just wouldn't be able to accommodate.

It's not a matter of which one they'll be able to get, but rather who they'll be able to persuade first. They can afford either with their an unlimited budget and one of the strongest farm systems in baseball.