Dodgers Trade Rumors: Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto deals ‘quietly being discussed’
By Josh Hill
The MLB trade deadline is approaching and the Los Angeles Dodgers might be in on two of the top pitching targets on the market.
With the trade deadline less than half-a-month away, teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to need to figure out what they want to do. Some contenders are going to buy rental players to complete their roster and bolster their chances of making it to the World Series.
Other teams, namely ones that have fallen back in the pennant race or are out of it completely, will be sellers and try to dump their stars for top return. The Dodgers are contenders in this scenario while the Cincinnati Reds appear to be sellers, especially when it comes to ace Johnny Cueto.
Ditto for the miserable Philadelphia Phillies and star Cole Hamels.
According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Dodgers have had quiet discussions about acquiring Cole Hamels from the Phillies and are pondering what it would take to land Johnny Cueto from the Reds.
Both pitchers are going to be white hot names at the deadline, and the likelihood that one or both ends up being dealt is rather high. The chances either will be dealt to the Dodgers was low but it appears that if L.A. wants to get in on the sweepstakes, they’re more than welcome to.
The idea of adding Cueto or Hamels to a rotation headed up by Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke is lethal. All you need is three wins to get out of the NLDS and a three-man rotation of Kershaw, Greinke and Cueto or Hamels could very easily get the Dodgers a 3-0 lead in both the Division Series as well as the World Series.
Pitching has historically won World Series titles for teams lucky enough to have gotten there, and the Dodgers have the right idea in trying to craft a three-armed monster.
The question is, how much of their future are they willing to part with to make it happen?