The Los Angeles Dodgers have been very busy this trade deadline.
The Dodgers traded Noah Syndergaard to the Cleveland Guardians for shortstop Amed Rosario (Rosario's primary position has been shortstop but the Dodgers are going to get him more acclimated to playing second base and in the outfield, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). They also struck a deal with the Boston Red Sox to bring back former Dodger and ace utility player Kiké Hernandez in exchange for two young relief pitcher prospects in Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman. Then, the Dodgers made *another* trade, this time with the Chicago White Sox. They dealt away two Double-A pitching prospects in Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure along with OF Trayce Thompson (brother of Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson) for extra pitching ammunition in starter Lance Lynn and former Dodger reliever Joe Kelly.
Potential targets
The Dodgers have been busy adding depth to their roster, but this is Los Angeles after all. They have one of the savviest front offices in all of baseball and have made some great moves on the margins, but there are stars that could be available for the Dodgers' taking.
One of them might be Nolan Arenado. The St. Louis Cardinals are out of the playoff picture with their 47-60 record (11 games back from the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds) and have begun selling their roster with the trade of Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays. Arenado is from Newport Beach, California. If the Dodgers are serious about buying heavily ahead of the deadline, Arenado could find his way back home to California.
Justin Verlander is another name potentially available that could find his way to the Dodgers. The Mets are also out of playoff contention at 50-55 (18 games back from the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves). The Mets have already traded Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers and Verlander could be next, with the Dodgers being rumored as a possibility.
Alden Gonzalez of ESPN has reported that the Mets and Dodgers have engaged on a potential Verlander trade and that the Dodgers are looking to acquire a starting pitcher on the level of Verlander or potentially someone like Eduardo Rodriguez (Detroit Tigers) or Dylan Cease (Chicago White Sox). Of course, the Dodgers would likely have to give up a high-quality prospect or two in their farm system to acquire such a player. Which of those prospects could be on the move?
Prospects on the move?
The prospect that could garner the most interest may be starting pitcher Bobby Miller. Miller entered the 2023 season as the 21st-ranked prospect according to Baseball America. He's made 11 starts, going 6-2 in those starts with a 4.37 ERA that seems a bit misleading based on his solid 1.19 WHIP and 3.7 K/BB ratio. Miller is helping the Dodgers out *now* and is still just 24-years old. He will garner interest, but it remains to be seen if the Dodgers would actually trade him.
Diego Cartaya could be a more attainable Dodger prospect. He was actually more regarded as a prospect than Bobby Miller coming into the 2023 season. He was ranked inside the top 20 of Baseball America's (18th), MLB's (14th), and Baseball Prospectus' (19th) prospect rankings entering 2023. His minor league career averages of .243/.346/.457/.803 aren't the gaudiest but aren't cause for concern either. He's still just 21-years old and was selected for the 2022 Futures Game. But with Will Smith the Dodgers' catcher for now and the future, Cartaya could be expendable.
Michael Busch is another prospect to watch and see if he's on the move soon. He didn't enter 2023 as prodigious a prospect as Miller or Cartaya, but he's no slouch either. He was ranked inside the top 60 of Baseball America's (54th), MLB's (44th), and Baseball Prospectus' (59th) prospect rankings entering the 2023 season. He's appeared in 15 games for the Dodgers this season after posting excellent .318/.432/.597/1.092 splits in AAA. Busch can play first, second, or third base, so he's a versatile defensive player too. He's worth monitoring as the trade deadline heats up.
Moving forward
The Dodgers are linked to some big names. They'll have to give up some valuable prospects in order to acquire such names, but they have the prospects to do it. The Dodgers, now in first place in the tough NL West at 59-45, are a team to watch before the August 1st MLB trade deadline.
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