Dodgers: Manny Machado trade leaves door open for Jacob DeGrom trade

The Los Angeles Dodgers landed the star of the trade deadline in Manny Machado. However, even after that deal, LA can still afford Jacob DeGrom.

The Los Angeles Dodgers landed yet another trade deadline piece; this one is the biggest since the team traded for Manny Ramirez in 2008.

Los Angeles landed star shortstop Manny Machado to bolster the offense in attempts to make a World Series push. Now, the Dodgers “best” lineup consists of eight hitters that all could be slotted in the middle of the order.

It is pretty scary.

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What made this trade so great for the Dodgers is that the team only needed to send one top-100 prospect and avoided parting ways with promising High-A talents, Dustin May and Gavin Lux. Although the duo is ranked only ninth and 11th in the Dodgers’ system, respectively, the two prospects have broken out in a big way this season.

May looks like a starting rotation caliber arm after his second season of pro ball and Lux could be the Dodgers starting second baseman by Opening Day 2020.

Instead, the Baltimore Orioles opted for minor league standouts that did not have as big of a following. While that is a bold strategy, the trio of Zach Pop, Rylan Bannon and Dean Kremer all present high ceilings that may not be seen on paper.

Say what you will about the Orioles asking price but they got great guys for a three-month rental. The Dodgers farm system is just so good that most casual fans did not know about the trio.

However, the most important takeaway from this deal is the fact that the Dodgers still have the flexibility to trade for Jacob DeGrom. The asking price for DeGrom is going to be much higher, as he is the Cy Young front-runner and is under team control for two more seasons.

However, since the Dodgers did not have to pick from the team’s elite prospects, the front office still has the pieces to make a move happen. While it does not guarantee a trade, it is interesting that the Dodgers held onto the likes of Alex Verdugo but refuse to play him at the big league level even though he seems ready.

Verdugo is slashing .353/.402/.514 in 64 games with the Oklahoma City Dodgers this season. No, that is not a typo.

Verdugo is MLB Pipeline’s 27th-best prospect, however, that is set to go up after his insane performance this season. He has proven himself to be one of the best natural hitters in all of the minor leagues and carries huge trade value.

He would be the centerpiece of a trade for Machado and could be the New York Mets’ starting right fielder tomorrow. Around him, the Dodgers can package another top-100 guy, right-handed pitcher Mitchell White.

White has a good fastball and a wipeout slider that gives him a lofty big league ceiling with a pretty high floor as well.

The Dodgers can pick into their deep catching pool and trade the organizations’ eighth-best prospect, Will Smith, and still afford to throw in a minor league standout, Zach Reks.

Reks is not listed as a top-30 prospect in the Dodgers system but is hitting .327 between advanced-A and AA with a .869 OPS.

The New York Mets would be getting an elite prospect, a borderline elite prospect, a catcher with a ton of upside that would instantly be the organization’s best catching prospect and a minor league guy that has been tearing the cover off the ball.

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And the Dodgers would get another ace in a rotation that may not necessarily need it but would definitely benefit from it, especially with Clayton Kershaw‘s player option this season. The best part? The team can easily afford it.

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