The Los Angeles Dodgers were tabbed as a potential landing spot for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds in MLB rumors, although the market for Reynolds seems to have quieted down in recent weeks, with many putting the likelihood of a Pirates trade at less than 50 percent at the moment, given their lofty asking price. Well, fret not Dodgers fans, as this Los Angeles insider has a trade alternative for the club with the St. Louis Cardinals and their outfielder, Dylan Carlson.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic laid out his “intriguing” Dodgers trade target.
“The name that is most intriguing to me is Dylan Carlson, who may be an odd man out in St. Louis. He’s shown himself to be a quality big-leaguer already, and the Dodgers have the type of upper-minors depth to make a deal feasible if they feel Carlson (who still has four years’ worth of club control) is a surer bet to be a regular contributor.”
Ardaya certainly makes a strong case. Dylan Carlson, 24, logged just 488 plate appearances in 2022 after recording over 600 the season before.
With Tyler O’Neill and Lars Nootbar manning the corner outfield spots, Carlson would figure to start in center for the Cardinals, although the club also has Juan Yepez, outfield prospect Alec Burleson and top prospect and third baseman Jordan Walker, who has gotten looks in the outfield.
It certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cardinals trade Carlson. If they did, the Dodgers would certainly be the source of plenty of MLB rumors as a landing spot.
The switch-hitting outfielder was worth two wins above replacement this past year, clubbing 30 doubles while playing fine defense in center.
The young Cardinals outfielder makes sense as a centerfield target, with internal options Trayce Thompson and Chris Taylor.
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