Dodgers Trade Rumors: Mark Canha, Tommy Pham, Kike Hernandez Among Deadline Targets

With the Aug. 1 trade deadline quickly approaching and the Dodgers in desperate need of a right-handed hitter, the organization is targeting Mark Canha, Tommy Pham and Kike Hernandez to fill that role, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.

It's been a position of need for Los Angeles for a while now as it has struggled to replace Trayce Thompson, who strained his oblique back on June 4.

And with an all left-handed outfield of James Outman, Jason Heyward and David Peralta, adding a right-hander to man one of those positions would help fill out an already loaded roster going into the home stretch of the season.

The Dodgers are monitoring Canha and Pham particularly closely as the Mets have severely underachieved this year despite having the largest payroll in the league. And with both players potentially heading to free agency this offseason, they could be prime for the picking.

New York is currently 45-61, fourth in the NL East, 6.5 games out a Wild Card slot and may be in a perfect position to become sellers at the deadline if they aren't able to turn things around in the next week and a half.

Pham is exactly what Los Angeles needs at the moment as he has had plenty of success against left-handed pitchers this season, entering Saturday he has an .889 OPS against them.

The only issue is that he recently aggravated a groin injury he's been dealing with for a while and was pulled from New York's game against the White Sox on Thursday. Pham hasn't returned to the lineup since then.

Canha, who has an $11.5 million club option for 2024 with a $2 million buyout, also has his fair share of success against lefties, with a .756 OPS against southpaws.

As for Hernandez, he would give the Dodgers a lot more lineup flexibility as someone that can play both the outfield and infield, potentially allowing Mookie Betts to head back to his normal position after very successful stints at both second base and shortstop.

Despite not being as successful against left-handers—.652 OPS—Hernandez would be a seamless fit as he previously spent six seasons in Los Angeles, winning a World Series with the organization back in 2020.

The Red Sox recently moved Hernandez out of the everyday lineup and relieved him of his shortstop duties. It may not be that hard of a sell to get him traded back to the West Coast, especially since he'll be a free agent in the winter.

The Dodgers may just be a couple small pieces away from another World Series run with one of the most talented roster in all of MLB. They currently have the second-best record in the National League at 57-40 and are first in the NL West.