Better positioned to attack the market than any other club, the Dodgers were aggressive at this year’s deadline. Contextualizing for the position they were in, what they set out to accomplish, and what it took to get there, it’s inevitable to conclude it was a successful deadline for the reigning back-to-back champs, worthy of an A grade.
No matter what were to happen, the Dodgers would still come out of the deadline as the favorites to win the World Series. That being said, the addition of Tarik
Skubal combined with more underwhelming moves from their top rivals justifies their current odds as +160 to complete the threepeat. Even though all three division leaders in the National League possess similar records, the Dodgers are still heavy favorites to secure the NL’s number one seed, currently at -370.
Dodgers trade deadline grade: A
As evident now as ever, one of the keys to the Dodgers’ success is the ability to make measured decisions with both the short-term and long-term future in mind—a team unafraid to fully explore their vast resources without being inconsequential in their approach. Skubal’s acquisition fulfilled plenty of expectations, but no one can accuse the Dodgers of being held hostage by the Tigers.
Even with the departure of Zyhir Hope as the headliner, the Dodgers retain a loaded pool of outfield prospects from which they can benefit for years to come. When it comes to River Ryan, his development needed a breakthrough only a guaranteed big league spot with no leash could provide, and that was more than the Dodgers could afford to give him right now.
It was the perfect storm not only for the Dodgers to acquire Skubal but also to do so with a reasonable package, if there is such a thing. For most teams competing at an absolute high level, the reward of two months-plus of Skubal wasn’t worth the loss of such highly prized assets as the ones the Dodgers gave up.
Depth is also what allows the Dodgers to go on the trading market for not one but two currently sidelined pitchers, whose potential contributions in 2026 are major question marks. Kris Bubic represents a shot in the dark, which was reflected in the return sent to the Royals—the lefty is still roughly a month away from returning to a big league mound and is a free agent at the end of the year. Now, Seth Halvorsen is a far more intriguing addition, possessing the raw ability to be molded into a weapon out of the bullpen capable of reaching triple digits, and also controllable through the end of the 2030 campaign. Halvorsen is currently in the minors completing a rehab assignment, still with 3 MiLB options.
Going back to familiar names, the Dodgers added catching depth by acquiring both Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia from the Mets and Rays, respectively. The Dodgers will be able to freely select who stays on next to Rushing in the big league roster since Feduccia still has one option and Rortvedt is not currently on the 40-man roster. Alongside Feduccia, the Dodgers also added minor leaguer Jacob Kmatz, a 23-year-old pitcher currently with a sub-1.00 WHIP in Double-A.
Between Landyn Vidourek and Nick Frasso going to the Rockies, Carlos Duran to the Royals, Chayce McDermott to the Mets, and Jack Suwinski to the Rays, the hit that the organizational depth of the Dodgers takes to complete these moves is minimal.
If we want to get extremely nitpicky, assessing the price for a few of the veteran relievers who were moved, such as Luke Weaver and A.J. Minter, the Dodgers could’ve pulled the trigger on adding a more experienced option. And that may be the only thing keeping us from an A+.
