Dodgers Given Massive Trade Deadline Prediction Ahead of 2026 Season

The Los Angeles Dodgers have not even thrown out the first pitch yet, but there are already links to a possible splash in the middle of the 2026 season. The Dodgers committed more than $300 million in guaranteed money to stars Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker, continuing their offseason spending spree over the last few years. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has been known to prioritize free-agent spending to avoid being leveraged in trade negotiations or operating out of a sense of desperation.

Instead, the Dodgers field as strong a roster as possible, then make calculated additions on the margins where needed, as in 2025 with Brock Stewart. Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman speaks in a press conference before game one against the New York Yankees in the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images While this approach has gotten the Dodgers back-to-back World Series titles, a third straight title may require a more aggressive approach.

The Athletic’s Katie Woo believes the Dodgers will make a serious move at the deadline. “For as grand as the team’s offseasons have been lately, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has taken a more modest approach at the trade deadline,” Woo wrote. “When it comes to their player development pipeline, the Dodgers are typically risk-averse.

But this is one of the few organizations with a farm system deep enough to swing a major trade — and this summer might be the time to let it rip. “With the sport likely headed toward a work stoppage in December, there’s no guarantee baseball’s landscape will remain the same under a new collective bargaining agreement. The Dodgers have capitalized on the current CBA to a historic extent.