Do the Dodgers See a Move to Go All-in On at the Deadline?

This year’s Los Angeles Dodgers are rocking and rolling through another season with little to no competition in the NL West. As things currently stand, they are 62-43, 19 games above .500 and 6.5 above the second-place Padres.

The Dodgers own the second-best run differential in the NL at +91 and have the second-most runs scored in all of baseball. Once again, they are an absolute powerhouse on offense. In fact, their offense ranks third in baseball in home runs, second in BB%, fifth in batting average and first in wRC+.

Dodgers pitchers rank right around the top-10 in the league in most pitching categories, but this is easily the top area of “need” on their roster. Truthfully, there’s no spot they need additional reinforcements, but this is the ultra-aggressive Dodgers we’re talking about here.

Armed with one of the highest payrolls and some of the deepest pockets in baseball, the Dodgers are always going to chase after the best-available players at the trade deadline. There doesn’t even need to be a fit.

If you squint, there are some avenues the Dodgers could pursue at the deadline to upgrade their roster and turn it into a super-team. We’ve seen this exact scenario play out for them before, so it’ll hardly be a surprise to see history repeat itself.

Let’s dive in and take a look at how the organization can further improve their shot at a second World Series victory in five years.

Los Angeles Dodgers Trade Deadline Targets

The Dodgers are a stacked team with very few places in need of legitimate upgrades. While they don’t need any high-end help, the rumor mill still has them firmly tied to some of the top names on the market. Here’s what they can do in the coming days.

Starting Pitching

The Dodgers are aiming at the top of the starting pitching market according to multiple different reports. Atop their list is Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox.

Crochet, 25, is in the midst of his first pro season as a starting pitcher. Through 21 starts, things pretty much couldn’t be going any better. The left-hander made the All-Star Game and leads the American League in strikeouts and FIP, while leading all of baseball in K/9.

Crochet has a ton of team control left (FA at the end of 2026) and is the White Sox’s top trade chip. It’s easy to see why the Dodgers have interest in such a player, as he could anchor their rotation for multiple years. He recently went on record to say that he’s aiming to stick as a starter this year – despite an innings limited place on his arm – and that he’s only going to pitch in October playoff games if he is given a contract extension.

This could complicate things a bit, but it’s also a pair of demands the Dodgers feel likely to meet.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Dodgers are also looking into acquiring Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers. Skubal comes with considerably less risk than Crochet, whose arm could fall off at any minute with his sudden increase in workload.

Skubal, 27, comes with the same amount of control as Crochet and has been just as strong as his AL Central counterpart. In 20 outings this year, Skubal has an MLB-leading 2.34 ERA with 146 strikeouts and just 22 walks in 123 innings of work. He’d be a more reliable option to lead the Dodgers’ rotation if the club was forced to pick between the two.

Address the Bullpen

Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia have all given the club sub-2.00 ERA stuff and quietly form one of the top back-end trios in baseball. Evan Phillips, at one point the incumbent closer, notched 15 saves but lost his grip on the “closer” label.

Elsewhere, Joe Kelly doesn’t look like himself while other team’s castoffs (Brent Honeywell and Anthony Banda) are also sucking up innings. Neither has been bad, but they’re textbook regression candidates.

This is all without mentioning the fact that each of Ryan Brasier, Connor Brogdon, Brusdar Graterol and Michael Grove are all currently on the shelf. There’s clearly room for a reliever or two to join the fold.

One name in particular that stands out is Tanner Scott of the Marlins. Jon Heyman of the New York Post and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently tied the Dodgers to him, and he perfectly fits the bill by simply being the best-available lefty reliever.

Scott, 29, was an All-Star for the first time this season and sports a 1.18 ERA (fourth in baseball) through 44 appearances. He’s notched 18 saves for the Marlins, but that number would surely be higher if he played for a team that presented him with more save opportunities. He strikes out more than 10 batters per nine innings and has brought his opponent hit rate way down this year, too. He’ll look good in Dodger Blue.

Alternative Options

Rosenthal also speculated that the Dodgers are among the teams showing interest in Angels reliever Carlos Estevez who, like Scott, is a rental. The eight-year veteran has been rock-solid for an Angels club that’s going nowhere in the standings. With multiple trade chips on their big league roster, the Angels are going to be moving multiple pieces and Estevez will be one of the first to go.

Other options include Luis Garcia of the Angels and Andrew Chafin of the Tigers, who are both on expiring contracts.

Offensive Reinforcements

Mookie Betts’ injury has opened the door for Miguel Rojas to become the Dodgers’ starting shortstop. While he has held his own at the position, there’s a spot for an upgrade if a target emerges.

L.A. would’ve been the perfect landing spot for Bo Bichette had he not just recently hit the injured list. The star shortstop is mired in a half-year-long slump but was reportedly available before his most recent calf injury took him off of the trade market entirely.

With a serious lack of alternative options at shortstop, it may make sense for the Dodgers to keep Rojas at the position and look for a bat with thump elsewhere. Adding another outfielder to pair with Teoscar Hernandez feels like the way to go in this instance.

Jason Heyward, Andy Pages and James Outman have gotten the majority of the playing time in right and center field this season. As of right now, none of their batting averages top .249 and two of them are below or just barely above the Mendoza Line.

ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez recently reported that Arozarena was on their shopping list, and that White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. is also a target. The oft-injured Robert is in his fifth season as a big leaguer but he’s appeared in 100 or more games only one time, which hurts his value, but he’s one of the better outfielders in the game when he’s healthy.

Through 50 games this season, Robert has 12 home runs and a 112 OPS+. Those numbers hardly scream “superstar”, but that output, paired with his contract (under control through 2025 with two team options for 2026 and 2027) make him an attractive chip and a solid fit on paper.

Why Not Go For Two?

With the Dodgers eyeing both Crochet and Robert, the best way to go is for them to get both in the same trade. It’s clear that the Dodgers have more than enough down on the farm to make a deal for both stars.

In fact, the organization had four players rank in Just Baseball’s recent top-100 prospects update. They are sure to flex their deep farm system’s muscles at this year’s deadline.

Nightengale previously reported that the Dodgers have already approached the White Sox on such a deal, with Michael Kopech also coming up in the conversation. This could be a truly franchise-altering move, much like the Trea Turner-Max Scherzer deal from back in 2021.

Closing Thoughts

The Dodgers are once again comfortably leading their division and their roster has been every bit the juggernaut we thought it’d be before the season began.

Now, it’s just a matter of them making one of their typical trade deadline splashes to perfect a roster that’s already one of the best in the league. There are spots on the starting pitching staff and bullpen that could use some love, as well as a spot in the outfield that’d look great with Robert filling it.

Look for the Dodgers to do what they always do and refuse to stay quiet. There’s at least one big move coming in the next few days.