A large number of names have been linked to the team in recent months. Those names mainly include Steven Kwan, Brendan Donovan, Jarren Duran and Tarik Skubal.
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This exercise looks at three under-the-radar trade targets that could ultimately be a great fit for the franchise. Each player meets a real need – whether that’s strengthening depth in the outfield or the infield – as well as the overall talent level of the ball club as a whole.
Outfielder Wilyer Abreu
The Venezuelan right fielder is one of the best defensemen in the sport. He has won back-to-back Gold Gloves for the Red Sox and is on the verge of reaching his peak as a player. The 26-year-old is still somewhat underrated, with his teammate Duran receiving more attention and public trade talks.
But make no mistake, he would be a perfect fit for the Dodgers. Acquiring Abreu would greatly strengthen the outfield defense, and it would smartly clear the way for Teoscar Hernandez to play left field.
Abreu is under team control until 2030, at which time he will only be celebrating his 30th birthday. Los Angeles would like to give an elite defenseman a team-friendly contract during the player’s prime years.
Abreu could end up costing more than Duran. However, the draft capital is there to get this deal done – and the two teams have a fairly extensive and recent history of dealing with each other.
Infielder Brandon Lowe
Lowe has been rumored to be a Dodger for years. There is a natural connection, as he played his entire career with the Tampa Bay Rays.
On paper, this potential acquisition makes a lot of sense. Lowe plays second base – a position the Dodgers have struggled with all year. Tommy Edman has just had surgery on his heavy ankle and it remains to be seen when he will return. As the Dodgers have shown, they will likely ease Edman back into the field carefully and slowly when he is fully fit.
Lowe has the fourth-highest slugging percentage of any second baseman in league history, trailing only Jeff Kent, Robinson Cano and Rogers Hornsby. Lowe has hit at least 20 home runs in four of the past five seasons.
Tampa recently received a club option for the 2026 season. As a one-year lease, the Dodgers could do much worse. Lowe hit 31 home runs last year, and at just 31 years old, it’s highly unlikely he’ll suffer a sudden fall from his current status. Considering he will be a free agent after the 2026 season, the package to acquire him likely wouldn’t be too expensive.
Lowe ranks above the 75th percentile in more than a handful of advanced metrics – including xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage, LA sweet-spot percentage and bat speed. However, he profiles as an objectively terrible defender. The Dodgers would acquire Lowe strictly for his ability to slug.
Outfielder Lars Nootbaar
Nootbaar has the look of someone who would play for the Dodgers. He’s a SoCal boy who grew up in El Segundo. He played his college ball at USC before being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals.
From a versatility standpoint, he can play all three outfield spots. The underlying analytics depict a player ranking above the 70th percentile in average exit velocity, arm strength, hard hit percentage, square percentage, chase percentage, whiff percentage, and run percentage.
Essentially, Nootbaar is a 28-year-old in his prime who has positional versatility in the outfield and a tendency to hit the ball hard without striking out. Moreover, he is a local product who also happens to play internationally for Team Japan.
Nootbaar will not be a free agent until 2028.
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Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn images
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