2 Players the Dodgers Need to Trade For This Offseason

The MLB offseason is in full swing, and all eyes are on the free agent market. Dodgers targets Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are getting close to making their decision — decisions that will have ripple effects across the league for years to come.

While all eyes remain focused on those franchise-altering free agents — and rightfully so — the trade market has been heating up, as well.

Some of the top names in the league are reportedly being dangled in trade talks this offseason, and the Dodgers, per usual, are at the top of the list of likely landing spots.

With the trade market potentially having some of the biggest names finding new homes this offseason, I thought it would be a good idea to lay out two players the Dodgers need to trade for this offseason.

These wouldn’t be the only moves the Dodgers make this offseason, of course, as they will also need to be very active in the free agent market. But adding these two players would go a long way to solving some of the Dodgers’ biggest problems from the past few seasons.

1. Dylan Cease

Dylan Cease is one of numerous top starting pitchers likely to be moved this offseason, but he makes the most sense for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are hoping to sign one or both of Ohtani and Yamamoto, which could cost them upwards of $700 million between the two.

In that case, the Dodgers would not be as open to trading for Tyler Glasnow or Corbin Burnes and their high price tags, which is why Cease makes a ton of sense.

Cease is just 27 years old and under team control for two more seasons. This year, he’s projected to get around $8 million, per MLBTradeTumors.

While Cease had a down 2023 season on a bad Chicago White Sox team, he’s just one year removed from finishing 2nd in AL Cy Young award voting with a 2.20 ERA and 227 strikeouts.

Cease has struck out over 200 batters while pitching over 165 innings in three straight seasons, and the Dodgers would love to have him slot in as their No. 2 starting pitcher.

2. Randy Arozarena

On Wednesday, it was reported that the Rays are shopping Randy Arozarena this offseason. The Dodgers need to be all over that.

Arozarena burst onto the scene in 42 games across 2019 and 2020, before making a name for himself in the 2020 postseason and World Series against the Dodgers.

He then won the Rookie of the Year award in 2021, and has now had three straight seasons with at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, while hitting 32 and 41 doubles in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Arozarena made his first All-Star appearance in 2023 and has been a great regular season player with even splits, meaning he can play both against righties and lefties and slot in as the team’s everyday left fielder. However, the most important part of Arozarena’s game is that he’s at his best when the lights are brightest.

Arozarena has a career 1.104 OPS in 33 postseason games, slashing .336/.414/.690 with 11 home runs and 17 RBIs.

And if that’s not enough proof for you, in this past year’s WBC, Arozarena slashed .450/.607/.900 with one home run and nine RBIs in six games for Team Mexico. His 1.507 OPS was second among all players.

He’s as clutch as they come when the biggest moments roll around, and is the exact type of player the Dodgers need to turn their postseason woes around.

The Dodgers have a farm system oozing with talent, and an influx of MLB-ready or close-to-MLB-ready players who are blocked from playing in the Majors for the foreseeable future.

Following back-to-back postseason disappointments, this is the offseason the Dodgers need to do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports