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What do you get the team with the most talent in the sport? We asked you guys, and a new catcher was at the top of the wishlist, taking 47 percent of the votes. Before getting into what that might entail, let’s take a moment to appreciate the absurdity that not a single vote was cast
for a position player (outside of catcher) — rightfully so, with no open spot on this roster the team could realistically hope to improve on That and other priorities, of course, while trying to improve its World Series odds.
The remaining 53 percent who didn’t vote for catcher were nearly split between starting and relief pitching. Both units share the exciting prospect of reinforcements on the way or recently arrived, with Edwin Díaz just activated and Blake Snell not far behind him. While any bullpen could always use an extra arm, the starting staff has this looming cloud over it with questions regarding the availability of Shohei Ohtani.
Assessing options on the market for these positions of “need,” with Will Smith’s rehab finally showing promising signs, the Dodgers may very well limit themselves to less splashy options. As we covered before here, Victor Caratini and Ryan Jeffers of the Twins may represent the best targets. A pending free agent, Jeffers wouldn’t cost a king’s ransom, unlike other more exciting controllable catchers, and the veteran Caratini would represent a safety net type of acquisition.
On the starting pitching front, with Eric Lauer thriving since being acquired by the Dodgers and Snell returning, it feels like a Tarik Skubal or bust kind of situation. Sure, there are other options who could prove to be an improvement over what the Dodgers have on the backend of the rotation right now, at least in terms of ceiling, but they’re not particularly likely moves. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, some of the better potentially available relievers at the deadline play for the Padres, making for a difficult deal as San Diego would inevitably prefer to move them to someone else. Everyone might want to talk about Mason Miller as the dream target, but pending free agent Adrian Morejón might be a more feasible acquisition and a great one in his own right.
Whether the target is a starter or a reliever, perhaps the best team to talk with is the Mets. While their record is atrocious, the Mets don’t lack in high-end reliever quality, with Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver pitching great and firmly available. A.J. Minter was also in this group, but he was the first to go, traded to the Twins on Thursday night. In the unlikely scenario the Dodgers want to add a starter not named Skubal, Clay Holmes ticks a lot of boxes, having recently returned from an injury and heading for the open market at the end of the year.
