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The Los Angeles Dodgers have become the first Major League Baseball team to reach 25 wins this season, but repeating as the World Series champion is far from guaranteed.
Even after opening the year with MLB's best start, the Dodgers have at least one clear weakness, as they have more than a dozen pitchers sitting on the injured list with a variety of ailments. That could push the team to look for some healthy reinforcements via trade or to focus on where they can create more offense and give their beleaguered staff some extra cushion.
One of the obvious offensive changes for this season and the near future seems to be an upgrade for third baseman Max Muncy. He is slashing just .177/.304/.274 in 135 at-bats so far this season and he's earning $14.5 million before facing a club option for 2026.
That's why Jim Riley of BallCap Sports proposed a Dodgers trade that would take advantage of an American League contender's logjam by swapping Tony Gonsolin and Josue De Paula to the Baltimore Orioles for Charlie Morton and Coby Mayo.
As one of the top-ranked prospects in all of baseball, the 23-year-old Mayo could instantly serve as a replacement for Muncy at third while also becoming a big part of the team's future core. And he could be on the move out of Baltimore as the team has struggled to find a permanent spot for him on the big-league roster.
Meanwhile, the Orioles would get some immediate help for their rotation while shedding Morton's $15 million deal.
"Mayo and Morton head to the Dodgers and, if you're the Dodgers, to get ... Mayo, you've got to eat Morton's contract, I think you would do that," Riley explained. "Tony Gonsolin has proven himself to be a more than capable pitcher. I like where Gonsolin would fit in this (Orioles) rotation. A solid three, maybe a four at worst."
At just 19 years old, Josue De Paula is an intriguing young player as well, but Mayo might fill a more immediate need for the Dodgers. Giving up Gonsolin would be a hard sell for a team with such an injury-plagued pitching staff, but the long-term upside on Mayo might be enough to call this proposed trade a potential win-win.
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