The Los Angeles Dodgers may look like a team that can sit back and pick its spots at the Aug. 3 trade deadline, but rival executives around the league apparently expect something much bolder.
That’s the tension hanging over Los Angeles right now. The roster doesn’t have many obvious holes, which gives the front office room to evaluate the market without panic.
On paper, the Dodgers can choose between making a smaller move or pushing hard for a major addition. And while they’ve been tied to some of the biggest names who could be available, including Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, there’s also been a sense that they might act more like a seller than a buyer.
Not everyone around baseball believes that’s the real plan.
MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that rival executives think the Dodgers are aiming to be “greedy” at the deadline, with eyes on a third straight World Series title.
"Well, rival executives believe the Dodgers plan to be greedy, and are infatuated with the opportunity of becoming the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series championships," Nightengale wrote.
"If Tarik Skubal indeed becomes available, as executives are now predicting, the Dodgers are all in, and have the prized farm system and starting pitching depth to pull it off. They have nine players in MLB’s Pipeline’s Top 100 List."
That kind of move would fit the way the Dodgers are viewed across the league: a team with the prospect capital to chase just about anyone. It would also line up with the long-running buzz connecting them to Skubal, who has been linked to Los Angeles for a while and is widely expected by many to wind up there eventually.
The question is whether the Dodgers actually decide to pay the price.
They don’t need Skubal, not with a starting rotation already stacked. But the appeal is obvious.
Los Angeles is on the verge of a possible three-peat, and adding the reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner would be a major swing. Skubal is set to become a free agent after the season, so landing him now could also give the Dodgers a head start in that process.
They wouldn’t be alone in the chase, either. The Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees have also been tied to Skubal during the run-up to the deadline.
If the Dodgers do jump in, it would be a classic power move: strengthen the roster, load up for the stretch run, and keep a dangerous arm away from the postseason field. For now, though, the league is left waiting to see whether Los Angeles truly goes all-in with less than two weeks left before the deadline passes.
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