The Los Angeles Dodgers sit atop the NL West at 45-27 as they prepare for a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays that starts on June 15. Nonetheless, the bigger picture is whether the Dodgers will make any move before the trade deadline as they look to win a third straight World Series.
While the speculation will surround Tarik Skubal, other potential trade targets might not require Los Angeles to give up a haul of prospects. Christopher Kline of FanSided compiled four potential trade targets the Dodgers could pursue.
Los Angeles already has a trio of Japanese players, so Kline raises the question: why not add a fourth in Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki? In his trade pitch, Kline sees the Dodgers giving up right-handed pitcher River Ryan for the 31-year-old Suzuki.
“This is an obvious swing for the Dodgers, whose connection to Japan should make L.A. a comfortable landing spot for Suzuki,” Kline wrote in a June 14 article. “He’d join a roster that features fellow countrymen Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Rōki Sasaki.
“Meanwhile, with Teoscar Hernández struggling (and hurt), the Dodgers could look for a more proven third outfielder next to Andy Pages and Tucker. There’s a lot of excitement around 28-year-old Ryan Ward, but Suzuki has a much stronger résumé.”
Do the Dodgers Need Seiya Suzuki?
Teoscar Hernández is batting .276 with 50 hits, seven home runs, 31 RBIs, and 30 runs scored in 51 games this season, per StatMuse. Nonetheless, the veteran outfielder has been out since May 29 after suffering a Grade 1 left hamstring strain. The key will be how Hernández looks when he comes back from his injury.
Should the 33-year-old struggle, perhaps a move for Suzuki would make sense, or if a long-term injury were to happen to Kyler Tucker or Andy Pages. Suzuki would be a rental with him being in the final year of his five-year contract, and if Chicago doesn’t intend to re-sign him, then shopping him makes sense.
“Chicago isn’t under immediate pressure to trade Suzuki, but returning max value for the 31-year-old would behoove a front office that probably can’t afford to pay Suzuki and Ian Happ, another soon-to-be free agent,” Kline added in his article.
“Also of note: Kevin Alcántara has been knocking on the door for a while. The uber-talented outfield prospect needs to clean up his hit tool, but Chicago needs to open the door fully to Alcántara sooner rather than later.”
Seiya Suzuki Dealing With a Tweaked Right Knee
Meanwhile, Suzuki is batting .255 with 53 hits, 10 home runs, 28 RBIs, and 31 runs scored in 57 games this season, per StatMuse. Moreover, much like Hernández, Suzuki might be dealing with an injury that any team with an interest should be monitoring.
On June 13, Suzuki tweaked his right knee in the series against the San Francisco Giants. As a result, the veteran didn’t play the finale on June 14, and the Cubs appear to be taking a cautious approach.
“He feels good. We’re just going to give him another day just to be safe here,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said before the June 14 game against the Giants (h/t Jordan Bastian of MLB.com). “He’s optimistic that he’s good to go. We just want to be conservative. We’ll just take it day to day.”
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