Subscribe
Follow Us
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the best team in baseball heading towards the Midsummer Classic in Cleveland, OH. Entering play on June 26, the Dodgers had the best record in the majors (55-26) while also leading all big league teams in run differential (an astounding +131).
With the club on pace for a ridiculous 110-win season, it would be easy to chock the Dodgers' success up to having the fourth-highest payroll in the league. And yet, almost all of Los Angeles' major contributors are homegrown players.
Cody Bellinger is the early front-runner for National League MVP honors, and Hyun-Jin Ryu has been one of the best–if not the best–pitchers in baseball. As if that was not enough of an indicator in the success of Los Angeles' player development, the Dodgers recently had three straight walk-off hits from a trio of Rookies against the Colorado Rockies over the weekend:
The Dodgers were third in the NL in runs scored, but they also ranked tops in on-base percentage and slugging, as well as OPS+. And their pitching staff led the NL in ERA (3.18) and hits allowed entering play on June 26. In other words, they have proven to be one of the most well-balanced teams in the MLB in 2019.
This does not mean they are without holes however. The Dodgers rank 13th in bullpen fWAR, but Joe Kelly has been a massive disappointment as one of LA's marquee free agent signings, and they could use some depth in the middle innings setting up Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen.
Manager Dave Roberts has shown plenty of comfort in platooning a number of his guys, but Kike Hernandez has been disappointing this year while Chris Taylor looks like a shadow of his 2017 self.
With all of this in mind, here are three potential MLB trade deadline targets for the Los Angeles Dodgers:
1. Felipe Vazquez
Although they continue to sort of hang around in the NL Central and the Wild Card race, the Pittsburgh Pirates are likely to be sellers by the time of the July 31 deadline. Vazquez is sure to be one of their most sought-after assets. He also might make perfect sense for the Dodgers.
MLB.com's Jon Morosi reported that the Dodgers are showing interest in the 27-year-old Vazquez, who has posted a 2.12 ERA and close to a 12.0 K/9 in his two-plus seasons with the Bucs. As of June 26, Vazquez had a 1.91 ERA and 13.9 K/9 in 2019 while ranking 11th in terms of reliever fWAR.
The Dodgers already have Jansen as their established closer, but they also have a definite need for impact lefties. Julio Urias has been fantastic this season, but he may move into a spot-starter role, especially if injuries continue to plague Rich Hill. And both Scott Alexander and Caleb Ferguson would be mediocre, at best.
Acquiring Vazquez might also allow Roberts to slot Baez into the middle innings while also giving him another closing option when Jansen needs a rest. After all, the Dodgers have 26 saves in 39 opportunities, and Jansen has 23 of those saves. They cannot rely on him every single day, especially given his recent injury history.
What Vazquez could offer the Dodgers would be a sort of super-utility, immediate impact reliever that only comes around every so often. They could even deploy him in a similar fashion to how the Cleveland Indians used Andrew Miller during their run to the World Series in 2016.
Oh, and Vazquez is under control through the 2021 season, with club options in each of the next two years. Seems like a win-win for the Dodgers.
2. Jake Diekman
Article Continues Below
Diekman is another guy with a fairly friendly contract in that he has a mutual option for 2020, and he would be another impact left-hander that the Dodgers might consider.
Although the traditional statistics are not the most appealing (5.06 ERA and 5.3 BB/9 rate), the advanced metrics suggest that Diekman would experience a pleasant change of scenery in moving back to the West Coast (after a brief stint with the Diamondbacks last season).
Diekman has registered a 3.81 FIP and 13.2 K/9 in 32.0 innings with the Kansas City Royals, and he could benefit from a Dodgers defense that has racked up 47 Defensive Runs Saved (eighth-best in the majors) as of June 26.
And unlike Vazquez, Diekman could probably slot right into the middle innings and be content with his role in handing the game off to Baez and Jansen. His high career walk rate is a little disconcerting, but the strikeout rate paired with his potential pitching in a more pitcher-friendly stadium (see ESPN's Park Factor) could make him an intriguing option.
3. Whit Merrifield
Why not stay in Kansas City? The Royals would have to be overwhelmed by any offer for Merrifield considering that they just signed him to a four-year contract worth $16.25 million in guaranteed money, a very team-friendly deal for one of the better hitters in baseball.
But the Dodgers might be tempted to offer up the house in order to acquire Merrifield, especially given the production from some of their second basemen. Hernandez had a .682 OPS in his first 75 games, while Taylor's OPS is down nearly 70 points from his breakout 2017 season.
Max Muncy has actually been a somewhat decent defender at second, but he rates as a plus defender at first, and the Dodgers would likely prefer to keep him at the corner spot.
Merrifield, meanwhile, ranked second behind NL MVP runner-up Javier Baez in terms of fWAR in 2018, and this year he is slashing .304/.351/.507 with 11 homers and 11 stolen bases. He can also play the outfield, although he rates as a plus defender at second.
The Dodgers might be willing to part with Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May in order to acquire Merrifield, a move that would also suit Kansas City's need for young arms in their pipeline.
Sure, Merrifield is already 30 years old, but the Dodgers are also desperate to finally get over the hump and win the World Series, and Merrifield might be a guy that can help lead them to multiple titles in the coming seasons.
