3 Dodgers players who won’t survive the roster past MLB trade deadline

Despite taking Game 4 of against the Rockies on Thursday, the Dodgers put one of their most piecemeal lineups on the field for the series finale. The looming absence of Mookie Betts was very much felt, but hitters 1-4 looked pretty typical: Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Teoscar Hernández. If you looked further down, though, this got a little hairier: Andy Pages, Miguel Rojas, Miguel Vargas, Kiké Hernández, and Chris Taylor. None except Taylor were ever really intended to be everyday players, but there they were, making up the majority of the starting lineup.

The young guns, Pages and Vargas, drove in a run apiece and Taylor even had a two-hit day, but it put the Dodgers' issues with depth on display and reemphasized that the team will have some work to do at the deadline and that some of the players on their current roster may not remain beyond July 30.

It certainly didn't help they lost 3-2 on the Angels Friday night, either.

3 Dodgers players who won’t survive on roster past MLB trade deadline

Cavan Biggio

After Biggio was DFA'ed by the Blue Jays and picked up by the Dodgers in exchange for cash, it felt immediately clear that he was there on a trial basis, as a stopgap at third while Max Muncy continues to make slow progress through an oblique strain. He's played in six games for LA since the trade on June 12, but things haven't been looking much better at the plate with the Dodgers. He's hitting .176 with an identical slugging percentage and a single RBI.

Trying to look for another interim third baseman at the deadline doesn't look like it'll be a high priority for the Dodgers, who are holding out for a Muncy return and have been also playing Chris Taylor, Kiké Hernández, and Miguel Rojas there occasionally in his absence. All three could move over more regularly if the Dodgers do manage to get a replacement shortstop at the deadline.

Biggio is making less than $2.5 million this season, and if that was money the Blue Jays were willing to eat, then it's very likely the Dodgers would be willing to do the same. There's still a possibility that Biggio could be DFA'ed again before we even get to the deadline if he can't shape up a little soon, but if he does last until July 30, he'll definitely be shown the door again.

Gavin Lux

The question of whether or not the Dodgers will finally pull the trigger and trade Lux has been lingering throughout the entire season, with the seed well and truly planted during spring training when Lux made a series of errors at both shortstop and second that included him being unable to make clean throws from second to first and dropping simple infield flies. It was enough for fans to be calling for his head back then, but it's gotten even worse as the season has progressed.

Lux's defense at second has improved, but the bat seems lifeless. He's hitting .212 with a .544 OPS on the year and .130 with a .304 OPS over his last seven games, and his lone homer came on May 7. The Dodgers had high hopes that their No. 1 prospect in 2020 would be able to step up after missing the entirety of 2023 with a torn ACL, but keeping him the majors this season has only served to devalue him in a potential trade.

Lux still has two minor league options, so if he's not traded at the deadline but the Dodgers still pick up supplementary second base and/or shortstop support, then Lux should be on his way back to Triple-A.

Miguel Vargas

The Dodgers have already recalled Vargas twice this season. The first option was arguably undeserved; he was already hitting better than Taylor upon his short return to the majors, but he's the most vulnerable to another trip back to the minors simply because it won't cost the Dodgers money or leave him vulnerable to getting snatched up by another team. Taylor has $26 million on his contract left over this season and next, and although he's been hitting a lot better over his last seven games than he has throughout the rest of the season, he'd also be a hard sell as a trade piece.

Vargas himself could probably be considered an asset, though, as he's hit .385 with a .976 OPS since June 2, when he made his second trip back up to LA from OKC. If he's not dealt and the Dodgers manage to secure a big league slugger like Luis Robert Jr., Vargas will definitely be one of the first names on the chopping block.

Depending on how things shake out at the deadline and whether or not the Dodgers can get multiple outfielders, Andy Pages might also be vulnerable to a trip back down, but they've already chose Pages over Vargas once, the first time they sent Vargas down. Neither might be as deserving of it as players like Taylor or even Hernández, but their available minor league options definitely push them to the front of the line.