Los Angeles Dodgers: How to land Harper, Kluber and Realmuto
By Jason Reed
We initially wanted to include a big league contributor, such as Max Muncy, in this deal. However, after letting the trade simmer, it became apparent that including Muncy would not be a smart thing because of the roster effects of losing Verdugo and Puig.
Even though the Dodgers would be adding Bryce Harper to the outfield, the team would be shorthanded in either the outfield or at first base in trading Muncy.
Thus, the Dodgers would have to put together a pretty penny, which includes the pitching prospect we mentioned earlier, Dustin May. May has elite stuff but is still 2-3 years away from the big leagues and won’t hurt the Dodgers long-term with their starting pitching depth.
The next best prospect in the deal is Will Smith, the Dodgers’ second-best catching prospect and a top-10 catcher overall. Good catchers are hard to come by and Smith certainly is valuable.
Rounding off the package is Jeter Downs, the highly-touted middle infielder that the Dodgers acquired from the Reds.
Finally, the Dodgers would also be including Edwin Rios, who is flying under the radar as an extremely valuable trade chip. Rios is the Dodgers’ 14th-ranked prospect. Rios is undoubtedly big league ready and cannot really be held down in the minors, however, he does have Justin Turner blocking him at third.
Rios would be the icing on the cake to convince the Marlins. If the Dodgers can, they can even try to include two other pitching prospects instead of May. However, just trading May might be the safest bet.