3 MLB All-Stars who could be Los Angeles Dodgers by August 1

With the Dodgers being one of a only a few teams expected to go all in at the trade deadline, they probably went into the All-Star Game on July 16 looking to do some window shopping. There were already rumors circulating that connected them to a few American League All-Star pitchers in particular, and we saw how a few of them fared against the three Dodgers hitters who were representing LA at the Midsummer Classic.

The Dodgers appear to be shopping in the expensive aisle for players who they might have to gut the farm system for, because all those pre-break rumors have persisted and even intensified. It'll be a tight race for any of these players (if there's a race at all for a couple of them), but LA will be right in the thick of things.

3 MLB All-Stars who could be Dodgers by August 1

Garrett Crochet

Like Dylan Cease before him during the offseason, Crochet will be the White Sox player to watch at the trade deadline. The Dodgers do seem to be in the lead of that race, based on a recent nugget shared by Bob Nightengale, who reported that Chicago and LA could be working toward a blockbuster that would send Crochet, Luis Robert Jr., and reliever Michael Kopech to the west coast. But they have heavy competition in Baltimore and Philly, two other powerhouses who have resources to sway the White Sox (though none so much as Baltimore).

There are some warning signs with Crochet that the Dodgers seem willing to barrel straight through. He underwent Tommy John a few years ago, which kept him out of the 2022 season entirely and limited to just 12 2/3 innings in 2023. He's made a league-leading 21 starts this season for a great 3.07 ERA, but he's also a reliever-turned-starter, so it's hard to predict what his longevity looks like through the rest of the year and into the postseason.

The Dodgers will need to throw everything they've got at the White Sox if they want to secure Crochet, who would be a necessary lefty addition to a rotation that just DFA'ed James Paxton and will certainly be limiting Clayton Kershaw's workload. This one is likely to come down to the wire, but LA seems to be all-in.

Mason Miller

Given their confirmed interest in Crochet and the potential for a deal to turn into a blockbuster, the Dodgers seem prepared to shoot the moon at the trade deadline. But they might be angling to go even further, if their connection to Athletics star closer Mason Miller holds any water. Alden González at ESPN said not to "count the Dodgers out" of a potential run at Miller (subscription required), but the A's would almost certainly have to be overwhelmed with an offer to let go of a rookie with five more years of team control beyond 2024.

It does seem a little too early for the Dodgers to give up on Evan Phillips, who's had a very rough go of things through July and has been hurt this year, but they notably have started hesitating to call him their closer. If they are looking for a replacement, then Kenley Jansen is a much more plausible and less expensive option who is also angling for a reunion with his old team.

The Dodgers don't seem entirely concerned with plausibility, though. Recent word on Tarik Skubal says that the Tigers aren't "seriously entertaining" moving him — and, if they did, it'd have to be for a haul in return — so the Dodgers even attempting to chase him does fall within the realm of implausibility. In that case, maybe Miller isn't totally out of the question.

Tarik Skubal

Skubal, unlike Crochet and Miller, happens to play for a team that won't be in desperate sell-mode at the deadline, which could make him the hardest get on this list. The Tigers won't be winning the World Series this year, but they won't be looking to completely revamp the farm system with prospects and hard reset, either. One or two young players fetched by a Jack Flaherty trade might be all that they're looking for while they work with the young guys they already have to come back better next season.

As previously mentioned, Skubal might realistically be untouchable if all the Tigers are doing is keeping an ear out to see exactly how far other teams might go. That's been the theme on his trade candidacy since rumors surfaced: he's probably not going anywhere, but...maybe! It depends on how much teams are willing to offer!

The Dodgers don't have the same firepower as the Orioles in terms of what they could offer from the farm. Any plausible Orioles-Tigers trades for Skubal would have to include Jackson Holliday, and the Dodgers don't have anyone even close to Holliday's level of hype and potential. Dalton Rushing, LA's No. 1 prospect, could be an option for the Tigers to move to first base in the wake of the disappointment that is Spencer Torkelson, but he also ranks 46 places behind Holliday on MLB Pipeline's top 100 list.

Getting Skubal feels more and more like a distant fantasy for LA (and maybe even for Baltimore), but...maybe! It depends.