Dodgers Outfielder Drawing Interest From Phillies, Rangers as Trade Deadline Nears

The Los Angeles Dodgers are fielding calls on outfielder Alex Call ahead of Monday's trade deadline.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Minnesota Twins — who will be buyers at the trade deadline — were interested in Call.

On Friday, two more teams entered the mix: the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies.

According to The Athletic, the Rangers "see Call as a fit," while the Phillies "have also checked in and had heavy interest in Call last deadline before the Dodgers landed him."

Call, 31, has put together a solid season for the Dodgers as a bench outfielder, hitting .246 with one home run, 16 RBIs, 18 walks and an OPS of .668.

While the Dodgers value his at-bats off the bench, following the returns of Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández, his fit on the roster has become redundant.

In a trade market that lacks right-handed hitters, Call could fetch the Dodgers a decent return. Moreover, he's under team control through 2029, so a team wouldn't be trading for a rental.

Interestingly, Bob Nightengale of USA Today mentioned Call as a potential piece in a trade for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.

"They can offer a major-league starter like Emmet Sheehan, outfielder Alex Call, and one of their top three prospects," Nightengale wrote of a potential Dodgers trade package for Skubal.

It's unclear if the Tigers are showing interest in Call, or if Nightengale is speculating the outfielder being used in a trade. Either way, it appears Call has a strong market, and will almost certainly be on a new team come Aug. 4.

Dodgers Continuing to Explore Ryan Ward Trade

Another outfielder, Ryan Ward, should almost certainly find a new home come Monday's deadline.

Ward, 28, finally made his MLB debut this year after seven long seasons in the minor leagues. Across his two stints, he appeared in 20 games, hitting .218 with three home runs, 12 RBIs and an OPS of .738.

Ward has shown he's capable of being an everyday player at the major league level. Unfortunately, that opportunity will never come with the Dodgers. Not only is their major league outfield full of All-Stars, but they have a stacked crop of outfield prospects waiting their turn in the minor leagues.

Thus, Ward will seemingly forever be blocked in Los Angeles, and should be on a new team come next week.

"The Dodgers could be open to moving other pieces as they rearrange some of their 40-man roster," per The Athletic. "They have previously explored trades for 28-year-old Ryan Ward, who is in Triple A and could help clubs in need of big-league lineup reinforcements in left field or first base or at designated hitter."

A trade involving Ward would likely be similar to the Michael Busch trade in 2024, where the Dodgers got two younger prospects in Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris. The Dodgers then developed them into two of the league's best outfield and pitching prospects.

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