Chicago Cubs: 3 potential (and 1 surprising) Craig Kimbrel trade partners

Chicago Cubs – Craig Kimbrel trade destinations: #2 – Los Angeles Dodgers

Really? What don’t the Dodgers have? Well, for one, a first-place record. They find themselves two games back behind the surprising league-best San Francisco Giants.  With that in mind, LA knows the talent it has. They seem to be in the mix every year as a World Series favorite. When healthy, they bolster a rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Trevor Bauer and Julio Urias.

Though Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen has been cruising with a 1.24 ERA and 21 saves on the season, too much is never enough for Los Angeles. They had Cody Bellinger in right field, so they added MVP Mookie Betts in right and shifted their former MVP to CF. They went all-in on 2020 Cy Young award winner Trevor Bauer, despite having a strong rotation. With multiple MVPs in the lineup and multiple Cy young winners in the rotation, it would be very on-brand for the Dodgers to go out and pursue an elite closer like Craig Kimbrel simply because they can.

LA is always looking to contend and contend they have. With a +142 run differential, being in second place will certainly not sit well with Dodgers GM Andrew Friedman. The former Rays exec will once again be looking to help LA push past the Giants and into the postseason. They have already blown past the luxury tax threshold but seem to care little. How aggressive Los Angeles plans to be ahead of the deadline remains to be seen.

One thing is for sure, money has never been much of a concern for this team. With an estimated net worth of $3.6 billion, I highly doubt the Dodgers will be frugal and roll over, letting the division slip away without an aggressive push.