The San Francisco Giants stunned the baseball world on Father’s Day. On Sunday evening, FanSided MLB insider broke the news that the Giants were acquiring superstar Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, and prospects James Tibbs and Jose Bello.
The Giants fired the first shot ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, and that’s that they are going all out to contend not just for the postseason, but also for the NL West crown. The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to repeat as World Series champions, as evidenced by the amount of stars they brought into the fold this offseason. But now, they have to come up with some sort of a response to let the Giants know that the division title won’t be their’s.
Here are three players the Dodgers can’t hesitate to trade for following the Giants’ acquisition of Devers.
3. Sandy Alcantara, SP, Marlins
Let’s start with the one player that has been linked to the Dodgers as of late, and that’s Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Dodgers have been “lurking” for Alcantara ahead of the trade deadline. While the Dodgers rotation has plenty of starter’s on the roster, the likes of Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, and Tyler Glasnow are currently injured. Who knows when they’ll be able to return. Besides, wouldn’t stacking the rotation be the best option for the Dodgers to solidify themselves as the favorites to win the World Series?
Alcantara notably had a rough start to the season, with his trade value seemingly cratering. But, the former Cy Young Award winner has rebounded in his last two starts, as he surrendered just two earned runs across 12 innings (6.0 innings each) against the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates.
On the year, Alcantara owns a 7.14 ERA, a 1.49 WHIP, and a 3-7 win-loss record over 63.0 innings pitched (13 starts).
If Alcantara is truly back in terms of top-tier pitching, imagine how well he’ll pitch with the run support he’ll receive from the Dodgers’ lineup? That’s an incredible upgrade over what the Marlins have.
2. Félix Bautista, Closer, Orioles
This past offseason, the Dodgers signed one of the top relief pitchers in baseball away from the rival San Diego Padres in Tanner Scott. But, Scott hasn’t panned out early on in his tenure with the defending World Series champions. Scott has 12 saves on 17 opportunities while having a 3.98 ERA as of this writing.
It’s entirely likely that Scott will return to form at some point this season. But why not stack the back-end of the bullpen? How about acquiring Félix Bautista from the Baltimore Orioles?
Bautista is back after recovering from Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for the entirety of the 2024 season. Before that, Bautista proved to be a lights-out, shutdown closer for the Orioles. In 2023, Bautista had a 1.48 ERA, 110 strikeouts, and 33 saves in 56 games (23.2 innings).
This season, the Orioles aren’t close to playoff contention after what was an uneventful offseason in which they didn’t capitalize on their championship window. With that, and manager Brandon Hyde fired, it would be wise for the Orioles to add more talent to their farm system.
The Dodgers have the prospects to make a big trade. Maybe it’s a certified closer in Bautista?
1. Luis Robert Jr., OF, White Sox
One of the big names that will float around at this trade deadline will be Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr.
The White Sox are nowhere near as bad as they were last season, where they set the modern day record for most losses in a season. But, the White Sox aren’t near close to contending. With that, they should continue to bolster their farm system. Trading away Robert could help with that.
While yes, Robert’s injury history is concerning, he does have incredible slugging power when he is healthy. Let’s not forget that two seasons ago, Robert made it to the All-Star Game, and later that year, won a Silver Slugger award after hitting 38 home runs with a .542 slugging percentage.
The Dodgers current starting outfield features Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages, and Michael Conforto. They can stand to add another name to the fold, one who could potentially knock in runs, like Robert.