Dodgers Still Trying to Trade 2 Players Before Deadline: Report

The Los Angeles Dodgers have already landed their big fish.

"It was [Tarik] Skubal or nothing," manager Dave Roberts said on Sunday.

With hours to go until Major League Baseball's 3 p.m. PT deadline, though, the team isn't done.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters that he's having ongoing conversations with multiple teams ahead of the deadline. As he put it, he's having "a number of different conversations on a number of different fronts."

According to The Athletic, the Dodgers are specifically looking to trade two players: outfielder Alex Call and left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer.

"The club is exploring deals to trade away outfielder Alex Call, said a league source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the fluidity of the club’s plans. They have spent much of the same week doing the same for Eric Lauer, who was informed he will be moving into a bulk role with Skubal’s addition."

Dodgers Looking to Trade Alex Call

The Dodgers have been rumored to want to trade Call for the last week as his spot on the roster became redundant following the return of the right-handed hitting Kiké Hernández.

Three teams — the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins — have been linked to Call thus far.

With a lack of right-handed hitters on the market, and with Call under team control for three more seasons, he could fetch LA a decent return.

Across 62 games this season, Call is hitting .250 with one home run, 16 RBIs and an OPS of .682. The Dodgers acquired him ahead of last year's deadline for two pitching prospects: Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Liñan.

Dodgers Looking to Trade Eric Lauer

Lauer was designated for assignment in mid-May and traded to the Dodgers to fill their temporary hole for a sixth starter.

He's done nothing but help the Dodgers win.

The Dodgers are 9-0 on his outings, where he has a 2.96 ERA across 51.2 innings. He's been an unsung hero of the last few months.

However, even before the team traded for Skubal, Lauer's role moving forward was unclear. With the expected returns of Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani to the rotation, there wouldn't have been room for Lauer.

Friedman said the team plans to move Lauer to the bullpen for now. They'd much prefer to trade him for a prospect, as he's unlikely to be on the team's postseason roster if everyone is healthy.

What Are the Dodgers Looking For in Return?

Friedman did admit that a deal in which he's adding to the big league roster was "less likely." Thus, the Dodgers appear to be searching for prospects — likely in the infield or pitchers — for the two players.

However...

“Never say never,” Friedman said regarding a trade to the big league roster. “Fortunately, we don’t have that acute need that we have to do this or our team is in real danger.”

He also said the team didn't have an "acute need" before landing the best player available in Skubal.

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