Five key Dodgers trade deadline questions: Can they land a reliever and a bat?

New York Times

4 days ago

A loaded farm system gives the Los Angeles Dodgers some trade chips, but who on the market is worth giving up a high-upside player?
To discuss the deadline and set up a crucial week for the club, Dodgers beat writer Fabian Ardaya hosted a live Q&A with The Athletic subscribers on Tuesday afternoon. Here are five key questions (plus a bonus one) that were asked and answered during the chat.
For more deadline coverage, read the full Q&A transcript, visit our Dodgers section for new stories, or check out our live blog for the latest all week long.
With the Dodgers looking for a reliever and a bat, who would be the most realistic targets at both positions of need? Especially with all of the news that they don't want to trade their top prospects. — Joseph M.
They're obviously going to be in the mix for all the big-name closers with club control, but I just don't see them doing that. Ryan Helsley and Pete Fairbanks are two bigger names that make sense to me with less club control (Helsley is a free agent after the year, Fairbanks has a club option for 2026) that would better fit what I think the Dodgers do. I also could see them — either in addition to one of those guys or instead of one of those guys — going and trying to find someone a little more off the immediate radar who they feel isn't being maximized right now. Michael Kopech last deadline comes to mind, and Chris Martin in 2022. I swear I'm not just going for the former Dodger angle, but Brock Stewart makes some sense for that reason (and he has a surprising amount of club control left).
As far as a bat, I reported last week they were interested in guys like Harrison Bader and Brendan Donovan, though I don't know how likely either are. The sense I've gotten is that other clubs are having more active conversations on Bader than the Dodgers are right now (subject to change, obviously). Donovan's asking price would be 'sky high,' as my colleague Katie Woo has said. Same goes for Steven Kwan, who Ken Rosenthal reported the Dodgers are hotly pursuing from Cleveland.
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When it comes to the bat, my sense is the team is looking for at least a carrying trait that they can bank on. They hoped it would be Michael Conforto's bat. Harrison Bader's trait would be his glove. Donovan's is his competence at multiple positions to go with a quality bat. If the Dodgers could maybe pry away, say, Trent Grisham from the Yankees, I think that helps the roster in a few ways.
Of course, more names can easily enter the mix over the next couple of days.
How likely would a trade for Steven Kwan be, and how much would it cost? — Chase R.
When it comes to dealing with the Cleveland Grind Machine, it's hard to ever say a deal is likely.
The cost would be high. Kwan is a high-floor, All-Star-caliber outfielder with a premium glove and years of control left. The Guardians have been trying to extend him, but have been unable to get anything done. Still, they aren't a team necessarily looking to bottom out. Their next good team likely would have to have Kwan on it.
I have seen the smoke regarding Bader, and I wanted to ask: given Kiké Hernandez's status, would Willi Castro be a possibility as a floor-raising utility man? Also, is Luis Robert Jr. another option to improve outfield defense and potentially offense (given his recent improvement)?
That's something that certainly crossed my mind with what Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim are dealing with. I'd imagine it's at least a possibility, but still would be lower on the priority list for the team. I even joked it was a shame that Amed Rosario already got traded, because the Dodgers certainly could use him for a 10-game spell like the team did after trading for him last deadline.
Also, my read on the situation is the White Sox have been much, much higher on Robert the last couple of years than the industry consensus, so their asking price has remained quite high.
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Between Zyhir Hope, Josue De Paula, Eduardo Quintero, and Mike Sirota, the Dodgers have four outfielders in or near the top 100. What are the odds we see one of them dealt (probably Quintero or Sirota)? Has Diego Cartaya's fall influenced how Andrew Friedman will operate with 'prospect hugging'? — John G.
I think it depends on who they're pursuing. I'd find it a little hard to think the Dodgers get a deal done for, say, Kwan, without having to give up at least one of those guys. I'd put Hope and DePaula a slight tier above the other two — though Quintero's rise this season might give him as high an upside as the other two. The Dodgers people have said they gave Sirota a first-round grade when he was going through the draft process, and he's lived up to it. His health does raise a slight red flag, in my opinion.
And yeah, Cartaya's fall was stark. Knowing when and which prospects to hold onto is a skill, but there's also so much of it that's unpredictable.
Is Alex Freeland going to play 2B once Max Muncy is back, or will he be sent down? — Michael W.
I think it depends in part on who goes on the IL today and what role Freeland winds up playing once active. If Edman or Kim misses a good chunk of time, it's a good opportunity for Freeland to have some runway.
It's worth noting that Freeland has barely played any second base this season. That's partially a byproduct of the roster over at Oklahoma City (where Kim was getting reps at second early this season) and some of the needs the team was prepping him for (most of his third-base work has come since Muncy got hurt).
I would also argue that even when healthy, the Dodgers' roster fits a bit better with Freeland on it, at least as a bench bat. Maybe it hurts Freeland's development long-term and/or Edman's ankle can't hold up playing more outfield, but it was a thought that crossed my mind last night.
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Do you think the addition of Farhan Zaidi will help the Dodgers transition to finding incredible value from scrap-heap pick-ups? I realize they still do this somewhat, with Anthony Banda being a huge one. I sort of miss the anonymous pickups like Justin Turner or Max Muncy. I don't necessarily trust my observations on this, but have you observed this at all? Also wondering if Farhan is there to do a little of what he used to do. — L.M.
The Dodgers have been churning as is. How fondly do you remember CJ Alexander's 24 hours on the 40-man roster? What was your favorite Steward Berroa memory? I did not make those two names up, and those were two guys who have been on the team's 40-man roster this season.
Zaidi has been around and helping out, but his role is very general and isn't directly tied to the Dodgers. I don't have a clear idea of how much he's involved on a day-to-day basis.
(Top photo of Steven Kwan: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)