Jeff Passan's new 'best trade deadline fit' for Dodgers is a controllable bullpen dream

In the week leading up to the MLB trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to handful of stars in the rumor mill.

There were whispers about the Dodgers landing both Emmanuel Clase and Steven Kwan from the Cleveland Guardians.

Ken Rosenthal named the Dodgers as a team that could trade for 26-year-old All-Star closer Mason Miller of the Athletics.

Other big-name relievers like Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax have been linked to L.A. too. With the Dodgers scuffling to a 3-11 record since July 4, just about every star player on the market seems to be a good fit for Los Angeles.

The latest "best trade deadline fit" for the Dodgers, according to Jeff Passan, is Cleveland Guardians setup man Cade Smith.

Cade Smith checks every box for the Dodgers

Cade Smith is a 26-year-old right-handed relief pitcher that would give the Dodgers a long-term solution to a massive problem.

Smith is not just a consistent, lockdown, high-leverage arm. He's a controllable piece that hasn't even entered arbitration yet. That means he'll still be under club control for 4.5 years.

In 119 career appearances since the start of 2024, Cade Smith has a 2.35 ERA and 12.7 K/9 for Cleveland.

Quite honestly, he checks just about every box. He misses bats, which plays in leverage situations, and he does his job consistently.

Smith is a pitcher that you can count on for up to 75 appearances in a season. He's a total workhorse, unlike some of the current Dodgers bullpen arms.

To top it all off, he's got those 4.5 years of control and won't need to be replaced anytime soon. Smith is a manager's dream.

Cade Smith isn't a household name for baseball fans, so trading for him won't be as sexy as a deal for Jhoan Duran, Mason Miller, or Emmanuel Clase would be. But Smith could very well be the best fit for the Dodgers' needs of them all.

I have to agree with Jeff Passan on this one. Smith is the perfect trade target for the Dodgers at the upcoming deadline.

If Andrew Friedman is able to pull this one off and somehow land Cade Smith, it will go a long way to helping the Dodgers get out of their current funk and defend their World Series title from a year ago.