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Imagine a world where the Dodgers land one of these trades at the deadline

By Joshua Sadlock

BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 27: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles bats against the Seattle Mariners at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 27, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 27: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles bats against the Seattle Mariners at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 27, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have been on a tear and can make themselves even better at the trade deadline with shrewd acquisitions.

Two months ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers were floundering 10 games below .500 and trying to fend off the San Diego Padres for fourth place in the NL West. Panic mode never fully set in for last year’s NL champions, and the Dodgers are 33-16 since bottoming out on May 16. The offense is firing on all cylinders — even without All-Star shortstop Corey Seager — and ace Clayton Kershaw may have finally shaken off his nagging injuries for good.

All systems are go for the Dodgers, who have been eating away at the sizable lead built up by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the division. Now, it’s time to get busy at the trade deadline and push themselves over the top with another round of smart acquisitions. Andrew Friedman knows how to identify a weakness and use his considerable prospect depth to improve the MLB roster.

The Dodgers are in for a fight to the finish with the Diamondbacks, and may not be able to fall back on the Wild Card due to the strong play of the NL East and Central leaders. This trade deadline matters more, and the Dodgers must improve if they want to guarantee another trip to the postseason. These five players are all smart targets, and the Dodgers have the prospects in their farm systems to acquire multiple names from this list.

5. Jacob deGrom

If the Dodgers are reportedly willing to offer up top prospect Alex Verdugo for Baltimore’s Manny Machado, then why not make a run at New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom? With the right-hander having a career year and the team floundering, it gets more likely by the day that the Mets aggressively shop the 30-year-old.

It is understandable that the Dodgers are considering trading for Machado with Corey Seager out for the year, but Chris Taylor has actually performed quite well at shortstop in his absence. Factor in the explosive arrival of Max Muncy at second base and the power surge from Joc Pederson in center field, and the Dodgers might be able to convince themselves that a big upgrade for the starting rotation makes more sense as the deadline’s big splurge.

Left-handers Alex Wood and Rich Hill have not pitched as well as they did last year, while Clayton Kershaw continues to battle minor injuries. Adding deGrom might actually go much further towards cementing another NL West title and trip back to the World Series. The Mets will demand a king’s ransom for deGrom, which could be the only turn-off for the Dodgers.

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