The MLB trade deadline on August 1st is rapidly approaching, and the trade rumors around the Los Angeles Dodgers starting to heat up. The Dodgers are 51-40, good for the top wild card spot in the NL. But the Dodgers' roster isn't perfect and they've been linked to a few potential moves. They already made one, swinging a trade for Bud Norris. With that in mind, here all the latest Dodgers trade rumors below.
LA targeting "elite-level talent"
In recent years, the Dodgers have chosen to stay away from trading for big-name players as they built their farm system into one of the best in the league. According to Bill Plunkett of the Los Angeles Daily News, the Dodgers intend to acquire "elite-level talent" at the deadline this year:
Prospect depth and the number of injured players the Dodgers anticipate returning in the next month or so “allows us to focus on (acquiring) elite-level talent” before the trade deadline, Friedman said, instead of just needing “to work down the list of available players to find a player” to address a very specific positional need.
Elite-level talent has been available before — and the Dodgers have passed. In the days leading up to last year’s trade deadline, David Price, Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto and Troy Tulowitzki all changed teams. None came to Los Angeles. Instead, the Dodgers acquired Mat Latos and Alex Wood because of a very specific positional need.
How the Pomeranz trade affects the Dodgers
Los Angeles had been interested in acquiring Drew Pomeranz from the Padres in their quest to add starting pitching before the deadline, but San Diego dealt him to the Red Sox yesterday. FanRag Sports' Paul Boye breaks down how the trade affects the Dodgers:
“The larger implication – beyond just the relative dearth of poachable players for teams looking to supplement their Major League rosters – is that more and more players with extra years of control will be targeted in trade talks, and as this season eventually gives way to the winter, that’s unlikely to taper off. It’s the new normal.
That leaves this year’s trading block in an unfinished state. The field has some likely trade candidates already established, but the modern penchant of thirsting for additional control leaves more players in play than ever on non-contending teams. It’s why Pomeranz netted such a considerable return: His breakout appears sustainable, and the Red Sox would, presumably, have one fewer rotation spot to fret about for at least 2017.”
The Dodgers have now turned their attention to acquiring players such as Oakland's Rich Hill or Tampa Bay's Chris Archer.
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