8 Blockbuster MLB Trade Ideas to Block Dodgers From Another World Series Title After Skubal Deal
The Los Angeles Dodgers look like not just the favorite to win the World Series, but the runaway favorite. It almost feels like a guaranteed three-peat.
They got even stronger late Saturday night with the Detroit Tigers trading Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. This is not the rich getting richer. It's the richest ascending to untold heights of richness.
There is still hope the competition can load up and challenge Goliath before MLB's trade deadline passes on Monday at 6:00 p.m. ET.
So, we consulted FanGraphs' World Series odds on the biggest threats to the Dodgers and concocted trades that would give each of them what they need to take down those Boys in Blue. Maybe it would happen before the World Series. Or in the World Series. But either way, it would happen.
This is to say that we only pitched big swings for each of these eight teams. And yes, that is swings with an extra S. There are at least two trade concepts for each team, which aren't meant to be packages so much as priorities. If not Trade 1, then Trade 2, etc.
We'll go in ascending order of each team's World Series odds.
Seattle Mariners
1 of 8
World Series Odds: 4.2%
The Mariners are four games under .500 and in third place in the AL West, but nobody should count out this team making a surge reminiscent of that of the 2021 Atlanta Braves. All the pieces are there, save for another right-handed hitter and back-end reliever.
Trade 1: Otto Lopez from the Miami Marlins
Whereas "lifeless" is the best possible adjective for Seattle's offense, that's something nobody can accuse Lopez of being. Dude is batting .322 with an MLB-high 27 doubles and 22 stolen bases.
He's the perfect guy to put atop the Mariners' lineup and hope the rest figures itself out. Ideally, that would mean Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor coming to life after largely sleepwalking through the season's first four months.
Trade 2: Mason Miller from the San Diego Padres
The Mariners could still use Miller even after acquiring Seranthony Domínguez for Luis Castillo on Saturday. And even if it's probably a long shot, still working in the Mariners' favor is that they have the arms and the prospects to entice San Diego.
Miller and Andrés Muñoz would instantly become the best bullpen duo in MLB, with each armed with a 103 mph fastball and a nasty slider. Add in a healthy Matt Brash, and Seattle could look to make games into six- or even five-inning contests.
Boston Red Sox
2 of 8
World Series Odds: 4.4%
The Red Sox had a 0.7 percent chance of winning the World Series on July 1, but then a 21-4 record followed. They still have outstanding needs, though, most notably for power from the right side of the plate.
Trade 1: Zach Neto from the Los Angeles Angels
The Red Sox view Neto as a "strong fit," according to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic. And they darn well should, and not just because he would plug an obvious hole at shortstop.
Neto's flaw as a hitter is that he leads the American League with 151 strikeouts, but the Red Sox could take that kind of pain in a lineup that mostly relies on small ball. Neto could pair with Willson Contreras in ensuring there's also power. He's averaged 26 home runs per 162 games as a major leaguer.
Trade 2: Hunter Goodman from the Colorado Rockies
Know how many home runs the Red Sox have gotten from the catching position? Four. Or, as many as Goodman had in the span of two games back in late June.
It's therefore a clean fit even if the Red Sox stood to lose something defensively with Goodman behind the plate. Boston also has ample young talent to offer the Rockies in a trade, and not just in their farm system. You wonder if they would have an interest in someone like Marcelo Mayer.
Trade 3: Jarren Duran to Anywhere Else
Yeah, Duran should probably just… go.
His production alone (68 OPS+, 0.3 rWAR) makes him a candidate for both addition by subtraction and a change of scenery. And while the Red Sox are playing it cool, his attitude simply can't be helping.
Philadelphia Phillies
3 of 8
World Series Odds: 4.2%
The Phillies are a curious case of a team that is obviously good, but just as obviously shallow. Bryce Harper is right that the lineup needs help, and one would feel better about the bullpen if Jhoan Duran had more company.
Trade 1: Otto Lopez from the Miami Marlins
Complications abound here. Would Trea Turner make like 2021 and move to second base? Would the Phillies and Marlins do this big of a trade even though they share the NL East?
Good questions, but the Phillies should have no question about the fit. Lopez would bring multiple dimensions that their offense is missing. And no matter where he were to play, he'd upgrade a defense that ranks dead-last in MLB in Defensive Runs Saved.
Trade 2: Randy Arozarena from the Seattle Mariners
The Phillies rank 28th in rWAR from left field and 29th in wRC+ from right-handed hitters. So as far as two-birds, one-stone solutions go, it's hard to do better than Arozarena.
This is contingent on what the Mariners want to do, but it's possible that Luis Castillo won't be the last veteran to leave town as part of a roster shakeup. Arozarena could be next, as he's a pending free agent at the end of the year.
Trade 3: Mason Miller from the San Diego Padres
Adrian Morejon or Jeremiah Estrada would also work, but they should be Plan B and C, respectively, if the Phillies are going to talk relievers with the Padres. They should be in on Miller as much as the next team.
For the record, Miller and Duran rank first and third among qualified relievers in average fastball velocity. The two of them plus starters Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo would make the Phillies a run-prevention nightmare for the opposition in October.
Chicago Cubs
4 of 8
World Series Odds: 4.8%
The Cubs own the fifth-best record in MLB, which is quite the feat for a team that has MLB's worst starting pitching in terms of rWAR. That's the one and only true need here, and it should be "go big or go home" time on the trade market.
Trade 1: Reid Detmers from the Los Angeles Angels
After missing out on Skubal, Detmers is probably the next-best starter the Cubs can acquire. Even if he only has a 4.03 ERA, he's fanned 145 batters in 125.0 innings and is working on a career-low walk rate to boot.
The other appeal with Detmers is that he's under club control through 2028. That could make his price tag similar to Skubal's, but the Cubs could see the two additional chances to get it right as more worth the risk.
Trade 2: Emerson Hancock from Seattle Mariners
The best available starter after Detmers is where thorny debates begin, but Hancock is one of the only ones who comes with four additional years of club control after 2026. And dare we say he's underrated?
Even away from T-Mobile Park, he has a 3.63 ERA. Let that be a lesson that lots of strikes, mid-90s velocity and a nasty sweeper make for a recipe that doesn't need a big outfield and a marine layer to succeed.
Tampa Bay Rays
5 of 8
World Series Odds: 6.0%
Even though the Rays have the best record in the American League, them as the league's favorites doesn't feel sustainable. But there are multiple ways they can change that, starting with the addition of an ace.
Trade 1: Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets
The Rays were a popular destination for Skubal due to their robust farm system, and it'll take less to acquire an ice-cold Peralta.
A clear change-of-scenery candidate, Peralta would be just what the doctor ordered for a Rays rotation that just lost Shane McClanahan to the IL with a recurring back issue.
Trade 2: Hunter Goodman from the Colorado Rockies
The Rays have gotten six home runs from their catchers this year. It's more than the Red Sox, at least. But once again, it's a figure that Goodman matched in a much smaller span of games (i.e., six between June 26 and July 1) earlier this year.
Besides, Tampa Bay is one of only five places Goodman can go where he'd be paired with another 30-homer slugger. He and Junior Caminero are two of just six such sluggers in MLB at this point in the season.
Trade 3: Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants
As seen in the position's 1.1 rWAR, second base is another clear area of need for the Rays. And while he shouldn't necessarily be their No. 1 target, Arraez is arguably the most natural fit for what the Rays are doing this year.
They have the lowest strikeout rate in the American League. He's literally Luis Arraez. Nobody should need the Charlie Day meme to figure it out.
Atlanta Braves
6 of 8
World Series Odds: 7.4%
The Braves feel weirdly anonymous among MLB's top contenders, but they're dangerous. They can become even more dangerous if they find a co-ace for Chris Sale and/or a better shortstop than Jim Jarvis.
Trade 1: Joe Ryan from the Minnesota Twins
Even if the Braves whiffed on Skubal, they should see Joe Ryan as a pretty strong consolation prize. Having him and Sale start Games 1 and 2 in a playoff series would strike fear in opponents.
The question is whether Atlanta can offer a suitable package for Ryan, who would be under team control through 2027. They do have one advantage: the kind of young arms Minnesota could want back in a deal.
Trade 2: Zach Neto from the Los Angeles Angels
Given that they already have enough power in their lineup, there is an argument for the Braves to go after Otto Lopez instead. But doubling down on power isn't a bad idea either, especially given how much home runs matter in October.
Further, the acquisition cost for Neto is likely to be lower than that for Lopez. Maybe even more so than one would think, given how John Mozeliak apparently evaluates prospects.
Milwaukee Brewers
7 of 8
World Series Odds: 10.4%
Even as is, the Brewers are just one win off the Dodgers' pace for the best record in MLB. Yet they should want to leave nothing to chance, preferably by adding a co-ace for Jacob Misiorowski and/or more power.
Trade 1: Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers
After the Dodgers, the Brewers were the most sensible landing spot for Skubal. His former teammate is not the worst consolation prize. Put Mize and Misiorowski back-to-back in a playoff rotation, and you're feeling pretty good in any series.
Milwaukee has the talent riches to go get him. They didn't pony up for Skubal, but it's a top-five farm system that has plenty to offer even after No. 1-ranked prospect Jesús Made.
Trade 2: Isaac Paredes from the Houston Astros
Paredes represents a tricky trade candidate. He's a regular in the middle of Houston's lineup, and thus not exactly expendable. And yet, he just might be if it meant getting pitching back for him.
If the Brewers can make that happen, they'd stand to gain a pretty much annual 20-homer slugger they could play at third base. They've thus far gotten only four homers from the hot corner.
New York Yankees
8 of 8
World Series Odds: 12.4%
Trade 1: Mason Miller from the San Diego Padres
Yes, the Yankees' bullpen leads MLB with a 2.96 ERA. But no, they're clearly not satisfied with what they have. It's why Camilo Doval is a Pittsburgh Pirate now, and the Yankees would surely love to fill his spot with Miller.
It'll cost them. As in, a controllable starting pitcher and then some. But the Yankees can make that happen, and the resulting pitching staff would have an even stronger case as the best in MLB.
Trade 2: Hunter Goodman from the Colorado Rockies
The Yankees have scored just 4.0 runs per game since Aaron Judge last played on May 31, and it's probably a good idea not to assume he'll be back for October. You know, just to be on the safe side.
Either way, Goodman is the best power bat the Yankees can acquire. And he happens to play a position that has thus far produced just a .546 OPS and eight homers. Even if his defense is a question mark, he'd be a hell of an upgrade over Austin Wells.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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