As has been chronicled throughout the offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers figure to be very active within the trade market.
There has been a host of names associated with the team over the last few months. Those names primarily include Steven Kwan, Brendan Donovan, Jarren Duran, and Tarik Skubal.
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This exercise is going to look at three under-the-radar trade targets that could end up being terrific fits for the franchise. Each player fits a real need — whether that be bolstering depth in the outfield or the infield — as well as the overall talent level of the ballclub as a whole.
Outfielder Wilyer Abreu
The Venezuelan right fielder is one of the best defenders in the sport. He’s won back-to-back Gold Gloves for the Red Sox and is just about hit his prime as a player. The 26-year-old is still somewhat underrated, with his teammate Duran garnering more in the way of attention and public trade talks.
However, make no mistake about it, he’d be a perfect fit with the Dodgers. An Abreu acquisition would strengthen the outfield defense immensely, and it would smartly pave the way for Teoscar Hernandez to play left field.
Abreu is under team control until 2030, by which time he’ll only be hitting his 30th birthday. Los Angeles would love to land an elite defender on a team-friendly contract throughout the player’s prime years.
Abreu may end up costing more than Duran would. However, the draft capital is there to get this deal done — and the two teams have a rather extensive and recent history dealing with one another.
Infielder Brandon Lowe
Lowe has been rumored to become a Dodger for years. There’s the natural connection considering he’s played his entire career with the Tampa Bay Rays.
On paper, this potential acquisition makes considerable sense. Lowe plays second base — a position the Dodgers struggled with throughout the course of the year. Tommy Edman just had surgery on his balky ankle, and it’s anyone’s guess as to when he’ll return. As the Dodgers have shown, they will likely let Edman cautiously and slowly work his way back to the field when he’s fully fit.
Lowe has the fourth-highest slugging percentage of any second baseman in the history of the league behind only Jeff Kent, Robinson Cano, and Rogers Hornsby. Lowe has hit at least 20 homers in four of the last five seasons.
Tampa recently picked up a club option for the 2026 season. As a one-year rental, the Dodgers could do a whole lot worse. Lowe hit 31 homers last year, and at only 31 years of age, it’s very unlikely he’ll endure a sudden fall from his current standing. Given the fact he’ll be a free agent after the 2026 season, the package to acquire him likely wouldn’t be overly expensive.
Lowe is 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. He does, however, grade out as an objectively horrible defender. The Dodgers strictly would be acquiring Lowe for his ability to slug.
Outfielder Lars Nootbaar
Nootbaar has the look of someone that would play for the Dodgers. He’s a SoCal kid having grown 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 that ranks above the 70th percentile in average exit velocity, arm strength, hard-hit percentage, squared-up percentage, chase percentage, whiff percentage, and walk percentage.
In essence, Nootbaar is a 28-year-old in his prime that has positional versatility in the outfield, and the propensity to hit the ball hard while not striking out. Plus, he’s a local product who also happens to play for Team Japan internationally.
Nootbaar won’t be a free agent until 2028.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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