A funny thing happens each year around the trade deadline and again in the offseason: Suddenly, the Dodgers are linked to every big-name player possible. Trade rumors abound, and it hardly matters if they’re likely to happen or not—they’re still all over the place, and they get plenty of press.
Why are we so obsessed with figuring out what will happen at the deadline? Maybe it’s natural curiosity. Maybe we just want our teams to do everything they possibly can to be better. Maybe, in the end, we could
all use a little bit of hope and a little less stress, and the wild speculation gives us a renewed sense of certainty in what’s to come.
No matter the reason, here are a few particularly interesting tidbits floating through the air—and no, I don’t think anyone is suggesting the Dodgers sign Carlos Correa this year. (Doesn’t that one seem to pop up every year now?)
Nolan Arenado to L.A., finally?
Arenado plays third base for the St. Louis Cardinals and makes about $21 million per year doing it, so he’d be an expensive pickup for the Dodgers. Nevertheless, his name has been popping up as an option for a while now; with Max Muncy recovering well from his injury, though, this doesn’t seem necessary.
My rotation for a bat
It’s common sense at this point that if the Dodgers make any big trade deadline moves, it’ll be for a pitcher. Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic has a different solution: “One way to mitigate all the questions about the Dodgers’ pitching staff is to create a lineup with no holes ... If they can find a way to add an impact bat, they can move around the pieces to make everything else work.”
Back to the bullpen
Despite Ardaya’s bold strategy, the Dodgers are in fact seeking more bullpen arms, according to his colleague Ken Rosenthal. Potential options include Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals, who is entering a contract year, and Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax of the Minnesota Twins.
The Seth Lugo situation
Lugo finished second in AL Cy Young voting last year, and Nick Selbe and Will Laws at Sports Illustrated listed him as a potential fit for the Dodgers. The Blue Jays are also looking like a great fit, according to David Schoenfield at ESPN, and rumor has it that Toronto might win this battle.
More from truebluela.com:
- Dodgers blank the Pirates behind Ross Stripling, trio of homers
- Andrew Toles returns to Triple-A lineup after missing 46 games
- Dodgers 2018 MLB draft tracker
- Caleb Ferguson to join Dodgers for major league debut
- Position players headline Day 2 of the draft for the Dodgers
- Dodgers draft LHP John Rooney in the 3rd round, No. 104 overall
