Who The Dodgers Could Target at the 2025 Trade Deadline
The Dodgers are hunting for bullpen reinforcements, infield stability, and outfield upgrades to stay in World Series contention.
As the baseball world enjoys its All-Star festivities and gears up for the final third of the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves facing a seller’s market and one of the most uncertain trade deadlines of the Andrew Friedman era.
The Dodgers, who reloaded after a 2024 championship, remain World Series favorites to this point in the season, despite a recent seven-game slide. But they need to plug real holes across the roster if they hope to make a serious run in October.
With injuries aplenty up and down the Dodgers’ pitching staff this season, underperformance from key bullpen arms and starting pitchers who have been healthy, plus a couple of underperforming position players, questions are beginning to pile up everywhere.
The answers might lie in Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, or the South Side of Chicago.
Let’s break it all down: What the Dodgers need, who they might target, and what kind of trade chips they have to offer.
The Bullpen Is the First Fire to Put Out
The Dodgers have used 35 pitchers this season, and we’re only at the All-Star break. That’s just seven shy of the MLB record set by the 2019 Mariners. While injuries have plagued the entire staff, it’s the bullpen that needs the most immediate help, especially in the high-leverage innings.
Tanner Scott leads the NL in blown saves (7) and owns a 4.09 ERA despite a lucrative offseason deal. Kirby Yates, another offseason addition, has a 3.90 ERA and two blown saves of his own. Neither has inspired much trust in the 9th inning.
With Evan Phillips done for the season and Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol still on the shelf, a backend right–handed reliever makes the most sense.
Potential Targets
Jhoan Duran – Minnesota Twins
If the Twins are selling, Duran is the top prize. A flamethrower averaging over 100 mph with a devastating splinker and wipeout curve. He has a 1.66 ERA, hasn’t allowed a homer in 2025, and is under team control through 2027.
The price will be steep, but he is the guy to transform and anchor this bullpen. Duran could provide a sense of late-game calm that has eluded Dodger fans through the first 97 games.
Griffin Jax – Minnesota Twins
If the Dodgers can’t get Duran, his setup man, Jax, is a more affordable but still high-quality arm who could pair well with Alex Vesia in 8th inning spots. Jax’s ERA is just 3.92, but Baseball Savant has his xERA sitting at 2.98.
The swing-and-miss righty averages a touch under 97 mph on the fastball and throws a nasty sweeper almost 45% of the time. With 66 strikeouts to 10 walks in 41.1 innings this year, Jax is an absolute weapon to pursue.
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
He broke last year with a 1.91 ERA, .90 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts in 75 innings and has followed up this season with 61 strikeouts in 41 innings and a 3.07 ERA, despite the Guardians’ struggles around him.
With an xERA of 2.54, an elite strikeout rate and stuff that avoid barrels, Smith could be a shrewd move for a team needing consistent middle-to-late inning help.
David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates
Bednar has returned to elite form after a rough 2024, and while he’s not quite Duran, he’d give LA a proven, high-leverage closer with nasty stuff.
If the Dodgers walk away from the deadline without adding a true stopper, they’ll be taking a risk.
Do the Dodgers Trust Their Rotation to Hold Up?
Even with Ohtani slowly building up and getting back into form on the mound, Tyler Glasnow having just returned, Emmet Sheehan back healthy, Blake Snell on the way back, Yoshinobu Yamamoto leading the staff as the All-Star, and Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May healthy, the rotation is far from stable. There are real concerns about innings, depth, and durability.
Potential Target
Seth Lugo – Kansas City Royals
Following a career year in 2024, Lugo is doing it yet again in Kansas City. The 35-year-old veteran who spent years as a swingman spot starter has settled in in the back-half of his career as a durable and reliable starter.
He’s not flashy, and the underlying numbers suggest regression, but his 2.67 ERA and deep arsenal of pitches should appeal to LA. The concern is cost, as he’s under contract through 2026, and Kansas City won’t move him for cheap.
Not Expected But Worth Mentioning:
Zac Gallen / Merrill Kelly – Arizona Diamondbacks: In-division rivals, likely off-limits.
Sandy Alcantara – Miami Marlins: Owed $38M over next two years and struggling with a 7.22 ERA.
Mitch Keller – Pittsburgh Pirates: 29 years old and has three years of team control.
If the Dodgers go after a starter, it’ll likely be as close to a rental as they can find. Lugo might be the closest fit.
Shortstop or Third Base? Handling Mookie’s Offensive Woes and Muncy’s Injury
Mookie Betts has exceeded expectations handling the position defensively at shortstop. But at what cost? He’s slashing .244/.315/.381 with a career-low .696 OPS and a 96 OPS+. His defensive WAR is higher than his offensive WAR, and that’s a red flag. Moving him back to right field could help ease the mental and physical burden and potentially unlock his bat again.
Adding a shortstop, or a third baseman, is very much in play.
Shortstop Options
Josh Smith – Texas Rangers
A perfect Dodgers fit if Texas is willing to listen. The 27-year-old has a 2.4 WAR, hits .277, and brings defensive versatility and contact skills. But with three more years of control via arbitration and the Rangers’ middling first half performance despite lackluster offense, it’s unclear if he’ll be available or if the cost makes any sense at all.
Carlos Correa – Minnesota Twins
Don’t bet on it. The baseball fit makes a lot of sense if the Twins become sellers, but the history with the 2017 Astros scandal makes him a non-starter for many fans and players in the Dodgers’ clubhouse.
Third Base Options
Nolan Arenado – St. Louis Cardinals
The 34-year-old isn’t the same hitter, but he still brings elite defense and a strong presence. With the Cardinals hanging around the wild-card race, he’s a longshot, but one that’s been tied to the Dodgers before. Arenado has a .693 OPS this year, but a change of scenery could help.
In either scenario, a move would allow Betts to return to the outfield, which solves two problems at once. The Dodgers could elect to solve this problem in-house by benching Michael Conforto, moving Betts to right field, and having Miguel Rojas platoon with Hyeseong Kim at shortstop.
They Could Use an Outfielder. Can They Find the Right One?
The Michael Conforto experiment hasn’t panned out in LA, as he’s hitting just .184 with a .620 OPS and -0.6 WAR. The Dodgers need a more productive bat out there. If they don’t move Betts back to right field, it’s imperative they address this.
Potential Fits
Luis Robert Jr. – Chicago White Sox
He’s struggled this year (.190 AVG), but his tools remain elite: 94th percentile bat speed, 22 steals, and a 5.1 WAR season in 2023. The Dodgers love high-upside reclamation projects, and Robert may never be cheaper.
Byron Buxton – Minnesota Twins
The Twins will be reluctant to move Buxton (4.0 WAR, 21 HR), and he’s recently publicly expressed his desire to stay in Minnesota, but if the Dodgers already have trade lines open with the Twins for Duran or Jax, Buxton could enter the chat.
It’s a big longshot, and his injury history complicates matters even more, but if he truly is available in talks, the Dodgers could pursue. Buxton is under contract through 2029 on a team-friendly deal, so the Twins might command an other-wordly trade package.
Bryan Reynolds / Jarren Duran / Steven Kwan
These are unlikely but intriguing names, and we are not ruling out the Dodgers for any of them.
What Should the Dodgers Do?
The Dodgers are in a precarious but powerful position. Despite the recent slump and injury concerns, they’re still among the NL’s top-tier contenders, and their farm system and front office give them unmatched flexibility at the deadline.
Expect Friedman and Co. to act boldly because they have to. Ohtani is in his prime. Betts needs help. The bullpen is barely hanging on. And the depth that’s long defined this roster may not be enough to help the team repeat as champions.
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