Do the Dodgers Have an Untouchable Prospect in a Trade? Insider Answers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have poured tons of resources into creating a strong farm system that parallels the success of the big league club.

This is done with both the future and the present in mind, giving the Dodgers the opportunity to generate young talent for the major leagues while also giving the front office prospects to use in trades.

Having a strong farm system allows the Dodgers to execute major moves each season, which is why the organization has made the team's development system a priority

With the Dodgers have so many great prospects, there are always some that the organization may prefer not to move no matter what. And for the Dodgers, it seems that outfielder Josue De Paula may be as close to untouchable as possible.

Dodgers inside Katie Woo of The Athletic reported that Los Angeles loves De Paula and would prefer to see his growth through the organization rather than trade him.

"The Dodgers’ farm system is an embarrassment of riches, particularly when it comes to its outfield, and De Paula and Eduardo Quintero seem to be the consensus top two of that group. There’s no doubt De Paula can hit. But can he be a more dynamic player, in terms of running the bases and patrolling the corners?" Woo wrote.

"The Dodgers believe there’s more to unlock there, even if speed isn’t the name of De Paula’s game. If he can continue making strides in that department, it’s hard to envision Los Angeles parting ways with its top prospect."

De Paula is currently the top-rated prospect in the Dodgers system, and he has a projected big league debut of 2027. However, with how talented the big league roster is for the Dodgers, it's tough to fully predict when he will be called up.

He's still at the Double-A level.

The next step for De Paula will be the Triple-A level, where he'll need to continue to prove himself. In Double-A, De Paula has been tearing it up, hitting .333 with 11 home runs and 56 runs batted in, while posting an OPS of 1.000.

Scouts have compared him to Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, with more athleticism in his game. The Dodgers obviously made a big mistake trading Alvarez before he broke out, and the team won't want to do the same thing with De Paula.

The outfielder will need to continue to improve his defense as he progresses through the minor leagues. The Dodgers seem to be extremely high on the overall ceiling of De Paula, and he could eventually be a replacement for veteran Teoscar Hernández down the line.

De Paula is only 21 years old, so there is still plenty of time for him to fully grow into his game, even at the minor league level. But it seems that it's only a matter of time before we see him up with the Dodgers, rather than being traded for an already proven star in the league.

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