3 obvious (and 1 unexpected) trade candidates Dodgers should target at deadline

The MLB trade deadline is about a month away, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are sitting in an unfamiliar third place in the NL West. It’s obvious the bullpen will need to be upgraded, as they have the fifth-worst ERA in the MLB. However, there are other areas that can be addressed in order to try and reclaim first place in the division.

The Chicago White Sox are almost sure to be sellers at this year's deadline after back-to-back disappointing seasons. This opens up the possibility of repeating a similar trade the Dodgers made in 2021 with the Washington Nationals, whom they acquired Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from. Although any trade with the White Sox wouldn’t match that level of magnitude, there's still a shortstop and pitcher who can help the Dodgers as they continue to fight for first place. 

3 obvious (and 2 unexpected) trade candidates Dodgers should target at deadline

Tim Anderson

The first piece the Dodgers could go after should be shortstop Tim Anderson, who has always been a talented hitter -- he'd batted over .300 every year since 2019. This year, though, he hasn't been the same, as he’s slashing .232/.270/.272, which by most standards, is beyond disappointing. The Dodgers were put in a tough spot with the shortstop position when Gavin Lux suffered a season-ending injury in the spring. The trade for Miguel Rojas seemed like a bandage, since he was someone who could come in and play reliable defense with lower expectations offensively.

With Anderson's disappointing season, the price to acquire him is likely much lower than it was in the past. If the Dodgers are able to tap into the ability he had at the plate the last four seasons, it can likely be a risk worth taking to keep trying to patch the hole at shortstop. 

Lucas Giolito/Dylan Cease

The White Sox could also be looking to shop Lucas Giolito or Dylan Cease. Giolito is set to be a free agent at the end of the season, while Cease still has two years of control remaining.

Cease had an incredibly shaky start to the season after coming second in AL Cy Young voting just last year. He posted a 4.88 ERA in April and a 5.57 ERA in May. As for Giolito, those months weren’t kind to him either, as his ERA was over 4.00.

Initially, these numbers would scare most people away from wanting either pitcher, especially considering how the Noah Syndergaard experiment has gone. But both have rebounded in the month of June, with Cease pitching 28.2 innings with a 2.20 ERA and Giolito going 24 innings with a 1.50 ERA. Given the more recent high ceiling that Cease has shown, along with the two years of arbitration, it would be significantly harder to pry him away from the White Sox as opposed Giolito. Regardless, both are ones to keep an eye on if the Dodgers are to target a starting pitcher at the deadline (while also having the possibility to add Anderson to the deal).