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Tampa Bay Rays 2B Brandon Lowe.

As the MLB offseason chugs along, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been most heavily linked to Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal and Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyler Tucker. Those are going to be difficult moves to pull off, but it’s hard to count out the Dodgers.

The team already added one big name with the Edwin Diaz signing, but the front office is always looking for ways to get better. While Tucker and Skubal might prove too tricky to add this offseason, there are other moves the Dodgers could make.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams might be another who is on the trade block. The Dodgers don’t need to add an All-Star shortstop, but they could help out another team land Abrams while also getting a good player out of it.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report pitched a three-team trade that would send Abrams, pitcher Patrick Copen (from the Dodgers) and Robert Hassell III (from the Nationals) to the Tampa Bay Rays, second baseman Brandon Lowe (from the Rays) and pitcher Griffin Jax (from the Rays) to the Dodgers, and outfielder Zyhir Hope (from the Dodgers) and shortstop Carson Williams (from the Rays) to the Nationals.

Breaking Down the Trade

This is a complex trade proposal with a lot of moving parts. Miller broke down why the deal could make sense for all three teams involved.

“From the Nationals side of things, they’d be getting a pair of top-50 prospects for Abrams and a former top prospect (Robert Hassell III) who has yet to pan out. Hard to argue with that, especially if they can either convert James Wood to 1B or trade from their surplus of outfielders for a starting pitcher,” Miller wrote. “The Dodgers would be getting another solid right-handed reliever in Griffin Jax and one heck of a one-year solution at second base in Brandon Lowe. Ideally, by the time 2027 begins, top prospect Josue De Paula will be ready for everyday work in the outfield and they can slide Tommy Edman back to second after spending the majority of 2026 in the outfield.

“And the Rays move Lowe’s $11M salary while also getting three years of an established offensive weapon at shortstop, which they’ve been looking for since abruptly losing Wander Franco’s bat in the middle of 2023.”

Not a Bad Idea for Dodgers

The Dodgers’ biggest need is in the outfield. As Miller noted, Edman can handle outfield duties, but that takes him away from second base, which is a bigger strength for him.

Lowe is a two-time All-Star who made the All-Star team last season. He’s a more than capable rental at second base.

This isn’t as exciting as adding a player like Tucker, but it does make the Dodgers better than they are right now. Plus, Los Angeles would get a solid reliever out of the deal.

It’s the splashiest move that will get the fan base worked up, but it’d be a smart baseball move that helps the Dodgers in 2026. They already have arguably the best roster in baseball right now, so they don’t need to make any desperation moves.

Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd