Dodgers Rumors: LA's trade deadline could depend on Brewers' downfall

Since Gavin Lux went down with an ACL/MCL tear in spring training -- and, if we're being honest, even before Lux went down -- the Dodgers have had a Trea Turner-shaped void at shortstop.

If they had their druthers, there would be another 30-homer bat and excellent glove in Turner's place. Unfortunately, until the Dodgers figure out how to mind control the rest of the league, they might not have a chance to fulfill their dreams and acquire 27-year-old Willy Adames, who FanSided's MLB insider Robert Murray confidently believes is their perfect fit.

Adames still plays for a first-place Brewers team and is under team control through 2024. Despite the Cardinals' hard charge, the NL Central is still Milwaukee's division to lose. But ... if the wheels start churning ... and Corbin Burnes wants out ... and they opportunistically sell high as the roster dissolves ... you know where the Dodgers will be waiting.

At the 19:14 mark of this week's episode of The Baseball Insiders, Murray responds to the idea that Cleveland's Amed Rosario could be a patchwork fit in LA by making sure he stated the Dodgers' actual preference in a potential infield swap this summer.

FanSided's MLB Insider Robert Murray knows Dodgers love Brewers' Willy Adames

"The Amed Rosario-Dodgers connection was a good one, because I still think they're going to be in the shortstop market. If they had it their way, I am very confident Willy Adames would be their No. 1 option. I've said that on numerous different occasions, and I'll say it again: The Dodgers love Willy Adames. The Brewers just aren't in a position to necessarily sell."

Typically, it should be a rule of thumb for MLB's other teams that if the Dodgers "love" a player, you should probably keep that player on your roster. That said, the Brewers are no strangers to causing internal chaos, trading Josh Hader at last year's deadline despite protests coming from within their locker room. If the Cardinals continue their charge and the Brewers can't sustain momentum, it's possible the Dodgers enter the picture with a Godfather offer to pry Adames away from the Crew ahead of his 2025 free agency.

How will they craft an Adames package, though? It'll be tough, considering how many keys they've already turned over to top prospects this year with the intent of creating a new foundation for the roster moving forward.

According to Murray, pitchers like Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone aren't being promoted as a showcase. They're being promoted to be part of the fabric, alongside James Outman and Miguel Vargas.

"The Dodgers, privately and publicly throughout the spring, were very clear that this was the season they needed the young guys to step up," Murray stated. "They need 'em now. They need 'em in the long haul, too. They are going to be pitching meaningful innings."

The most likely outcome is the Dodgers leave 2023 with cost-controlled young players in five or six key roster spots, with the financial burden of Shohei Ohtani's massive contract on the horizon. If they had it their way, though, Adames would also be a part of their future.

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