This blockbuster Dodgers trade package should get Byron Buxton out of Minnesota

Dodgers insider and SportsNet LA host David Vassegh got Dodgers fans dreaming when he introduced the idea of a trade that would bring Byron Buxton to LA. It was in conjunction with a conversation about how long Michael Conforto has before the Dodgers give him the boot (and the answer is the trade deadline), and Buxton having the most productive and healthiest season of his career this year.

The Twins, meanwhile, are 11.5 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central and are approaching an ownership change. Vassegh characterized them as "going nowhere," and that doesn't seem to be an unfair assessment.

However, Buxton has a no-trade clause in his seven-year, $100 million extension, and he made sure to let everyone know about it at the All-Star Game.

“I've got a no-trade clause,” he said, "I'm a Minnesota Twin for the rest of my life. That's the best feeling in the world, knowing when I walk into the clubhouse every day, it's going to say Twins. I love Minnesota — that's home. ... I don't want to play anywhere else. The team, the people, the city — they made me who I am and made me a part of it there."

That definitely makes it seem like Buxton would immediately shoot down any mention of a trade without further consideration, but if the Dodgers really wanted him, they could throw a package at the Twins that would have the front office practically begging Buxton to reconsider.

Proposing a blockbuster Dodgers-Twins trade package that could bring Byron Buxton to LA

Buxton is on track to play in his most games in a regular season since 2017 after spending so many years with myriad injuries. But his talent, even during those abbreviated seasons, has been undeniable; he racked up a 4.9 bWAR in 2021 with 19 homers and 1.005 OPS in just 61 games in 2021. And we've still never actually seen this guy at full power.

No. 2 prospect Zyhir Hope and No. 4 prospect Jackson Ferris — both of whom came over in the Michael Busch trade with the Cubs — would solve some problems for the Twins' prospect depth. Minnesota has two outfield prospects at the top of their pipeline, including No. 14 overall prospect Walker Jenkins, but Harrison Bader is a potential trade candidate and would be gone after 2026 regardless, and the Twins definitely need to upgrade from Willi Castro, DeShawn Keirsey Jr., and Matt Wallner.

Ferris should be the majors by next season, and the Twins don't have a single lefty starting pitcher. He's struggled this year in Double-A, but he has a more effective and varied arsenal than the Twins' highest-ranked lefty prospect Connor Prielipp.

Buxton may be a pipe dream — and even if he was amenable to a trade, might require too much in exchange for any team to actually pry him from Minnesota — but a deal like this could at least be a place to start shifting the conversation.