The supposition will not go away: Dodgers should trade for Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr., or acquire St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.
STOP IT!
Robert or Arenado are not going to be Dodgers this season, and most likely never. Financially, neither player makes sense for the Dodgers.
Robert is making $15 million this year with team options for 2026 and 2027 ($20M each year). Based on Robert’s performance for the last couple of years, neither of those options will be exercised. Even if the White Sox would take back nothing more than James Outman, the contract is a non-starter.
Arenado is one of my favorite non-Dodgers players, but his remaining contract (net, prorated this season is $27M, $22M in 2026, and $15M in 2027) is not a viable option even if the Cardinals retain half of the contract.
More importantly, neither player is needed for the Dodgers to win the World Series in 2025.
With the emergence of Andy Pages as an every day outfielder, the eminent return of Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman from the IL, and Michael Conforto‘s return to form, there is no need for Robert.
Hyeseong Kim, who went 3-for-3 with a double, two singles, two walks, four runs scored, and two RBIs in Thursday’s historic 19-2 win over the Athletics, is currently slashing an impossible .429/.467/.571/1.038 and is playing the way the Dodgers expected when they signed him to his current 3-year/$12.5M contract. With Miguel Rojas available as a platoon partner, second base is now an area of strength, which allows super utility player Edman to move around to third base and the outfield when needed. And, Max Muncy is showing signs that his season-long slump may finally be ending.
Arenado is not needed.
Before the 2025 season, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman explained:
“The one thing that has stood every year, it is the worst time to try to add players. So for us going into this offseason, it was: ‘Let’s do everything we can on the frontend. Let’s be as aggressive we can be and be in a position where we don’t have to go to market in July.’”
Depending on the prognosis of injured pitchers currently on the IL (Tyler Glasnow, Brusdar Graterol, Clayton Kershaw, Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Blake Snell, and Blake Treinen), the Dodgers may actually be sellers rather than buyers in weeks to come.
Who might the Dodgers sell?
That’s a topic for another day.
Go Dodgers!
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