Dodgers Trade Rumors: Willy Adames, Tim Anderson, Nick Senzel, Andrew McCutchen and More
The MLB trade deadline is just over two months away and it's never too early to look ahead at the needs of your favorite baseball time. For the Dodgers, the question since losing Gavin Lux to a season-ending knee injury has been whether the team needs an upgrade at shortstop to be true championship contenders.
On the Dodgers Nation RoundTable, myself and Dodgers analyst Doug McKain discuss what LA has as the position now and if that's good enough to run with for now or for the rest of the season.
Watch the episode here:
Doug brings the hits with names like Tim Anderson and Willy Adames (note: this was filmed before Adames hit hit in the head by foul ball) as the shortstop trade options. My argument is that what we're seeing out of Miguel Rojas good enough and what we're seeing out of him on defense is exceptional, even if the defensive metrics say otherwise.
The Dodgers don't need to trade the farm for a shortstop when they have every expectation of running with Gavin Lux at the position in 2024. They're not going to trade for a rental, at least at shortstop. However, there are needs around the roster that can help hide someone like Rojas consistently in the 9 hole in the lineup and provide added firepower elsewhere.
Namely, the outfield.
Doug mentioned veteran outfielder and former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen as an ideal trade candidate and someone that fits the mold of the type of guys the Dodger front office loves to acquire.
High character guy. Playoff experience. Veteran leader. Think of McCutchen as the next David Freese or Chase Utley type.
Where Cutch fits in a little less is in where they play him. The club already has one of the better designated hitters in the game with J.D. Martinez, and McCutchen is pretty much viewed as a DH at this start in his career. He's started just 55 games in the outfield over the last two seasons with only 5 of those coming this season.
It's not that he can't do it anymore, but it might not be pretty out there.
On offense, he'd be an immediate upgrade over Trayce Thompson who hasn't had a hit in 16 years while McCutchen had 2 alone on Friday. He's excelled against left-handed pitchers in his career as well, hitting .298 lifetime with 94 home runs.
If the Dodgers are going to trade for a bat, a player like this makes sense. The club also has a few intriguing options down in the minor leagues that could or should get a chance with the big league club this year. Mainly outfielders Andy Pages and Jonny DeLuca.
Andrew Friedman said recently the team isn't quite ready to explore the trade market so internal options like these guys could be intriguing.
