MLB Insider's Junior Caminero admission could have the stars align for Dodgers

While the Los Angeles Dodgers are sitting at home watching the 2026 World Series, there's been one player who has captivated those millions of eyeballs as the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers face off in the Fall Classic. That player would be the Rays' third baseman, Junior Caminero.

Caminero has gone 2-for-10 during the first three games of the World Series, but as the normally fundamentally sound Rays have put forth some sloppy play, Caminero has emerged as a vocal leader. Then, when he has made contact, he's scorched the baseball.

At just 23 years old, Caminero is already a superstar, slashing .276/.360/.524 this year while tallying 42 home runs for his second 40-plus-homer season. He's already so good, but he's still got so much room to grow.

And grow he will. At some point soon, he may also outgrow Tampa's payroll. While reporting on Caminero's impact on the Rays during the World Series, ESPN MLB insider Jorge Castillo reported that eventually the budding superstar desires to receive a record-setting payday.

“The Rays likely will be faced at some point with the determination that he is too expensive to keep," Castillo wrote. "Caminero has already expressed his desire to be compensated at the level of Juan Soto or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Rays, whose payroll this season ranked 28th in the majors, do not engage in those markets.”

That makes one thing clear. At some point in the future, a trade is in the cards. A team like the Rays can't pay those exorbitant prices, and a chip like Caminero has too much value to the franchise to not cash in. And if it's a contract that's between $500-$700 million for a decade or so that's required to keep Caminero long-term, well, only the Dodgers and a few other clubs can reach deep enough in their pockets to cough up that sort of dough.

The Dodgers are uniquely positioned to eventually trade for Junior Caminero

Tampa being forced to trade Caminero isn't something that's going to happen tomorrow. They have him under team control through the 2030 season. Time is on their side. With that said, it would behoove them not to wait until his final year of team control in order to trade him so that they can avoid the reticence from contenders to go all-in, as the Tigers experienced with Tarik Skubal.

On top of that, if he continues his trajectory, Caminero will eventually get prohibitively expensive in arbitration, which for him begins in 2028. That could force a situation where the Rays trade him, with control remaining.

That uniquely positions the Dodgers to land his services. Los Angeles is fortunate to have Max Muncy on a below-market deal. The 36-year-old is coming off a .252/.348/.490 campaign with 29 taters. He'll make just $10 million in 2027, and LA holds a $10 million club option for 2028. His presence is a big reason why Japanese star Teruaki Sato isn't a prime fit for the Dodgers.

That sets the scene for Los Angeles to trade for Caminero after next season, if they can come to an agreement with the Rays, or after the 2028 campaign, which would be the Rays' best chance to extract maximum value out of Caminero, when taking into account the return package that they could receive for him, plus the value his play on the field provided their franchise.

Finally, the Dodgers have a top-ranked farm system, and given their massive investment in the scouting department, that should continue to be the case for years to come. When it comes to roster construction, the strength of the farm, and financial resources, no team in baseball is better positioned to eventually trade for Caminero, and it could all come together at the perfect time.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow