Grading a Dodgers-White Sox trade that would ruin MLB parity for good

The Los Angeles Dodgers have easily the best top half of the lineup in the majors. The trio of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman simply can't be stopped, and their stats prove it. The three that follow those MVPs in Will Smith, a healthy Max Muncy, and Teoscar Hernandez aren't too shabby either. Their top six is easily the best in the majors. The remainder of their lineup is the team's biggest weakness.

The 7-8-9 of Jason Heyward, Andy Pages, and Gavin Lux could be worse, but it could also be better. That could be something that Andrew Friedman looks to improve upon at the trade deadline.

Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox might be the best player available at the deadline, and this mock trade from Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report has the Dodgers landing him. At this point, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Dodgers land yet another superstar, but it sure would be frustrating. If they weren't already favored over a team like the Philadelphia Phillies to win the NL, they would be if they could find a way to land a talent like Robert.

For now, let's give Rymer's proposal a grade and see if it's something that might actually get done.

Grading a Dodgers-White Sox trade sending Luis Robert Jr. to LA

The Dodgers have an absurd lineup, but it's top-heavy. The bottom of their order is not very good. Upgrading Andy Pages to Luis Robert lengthens their lineup and adds another all-around star to the mix. Robert, when healthy, is a star, and he comes with 3.5 more years of team control at a very team-friendly cost.

The one concern that comes with Robert is his durability. The 26-year-old has played 100+ games just once in his five-year MLB career. Of course, he was an All-Star and took home a Silver Slugger in that season. Assuming health, Robert is a slam-dunk addition. Of course, he wouldn't come cheap, though.

Rymer's proposal has the Dodgers landing impressive outfielder Andy Pages as the headliner. The 23-year-old was one of LA's top prospects entering this season and has a .712 OPS in 46 games as the Dodgers' regular center fielder. While he can be a good player in the future, Robert presents the opportunity for a massive upgrade now, while also only being three years older with tons of team control.

The second piece Rymer has Chicago landing is River Ryan, the Dodgers' No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Ryan is an intriguing pitching prospect who is close to MLB-ready, but he's also 25 years old (just one year younger than Robert) and just recently made his first appearance of the season after missing the first two months with shoulder fatigue.

These are two solid pieces that the White Sox would be getting, but it doesn't feel like enough. The White Sox not getting any of Los Angeles' top three prospects in the deal feels like a miss. The White Sox only getting two players when none of them are seen as future superstars also feels like a miss.

From a Dodgers perspective, this is a home run. They're giving up their starting center fielder and replacing him with a young star with tons of team control. The other player is an older pitching prospect who hasn't debuted yet.

The White Sox will need more quality and quantity for the Dodgers to convince them to trade a player of Robert's caliber when he has so much team control. The Dodgers should be the desperate team here. The White Sox have no reason to rush to trade their best and most valuable player without getting a franchise-altering return. This deal doesn't come close to that.

Dodgers trade grade: A
White Sox trade grade: C-