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Dodgers Trade Deadline 'Blueprint' Includes Acquiring Marlins' Breakout Star

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sterling Bennett | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 4:40 PM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers have two weaknesses entering the final week of the MLB Trade Deadline: left field and relief pitching.

Michael Conforto might be the worst signing of the offseason. Through 89 games, the left-handed hitter is slashing .185/.297/.320 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs. His production is a primary reason the Dodgers have the lowest-ranked left field in baseball and have the fourth-lowest WAR at the position, per FanGraphs.

Los Angeles’ bullpen shares a similar story in overspending for minimal results. After spending $107 million on three relief pitchers (Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, and Blake Treinen), the Dodgers’ pen has the seventh-highest ERA and the second-most home runs allowed. Scott leads the league in blown saves, and his position as closer is rumored to be on thin ice. Treinen has not stepped foot on a mound all year, and Yates is starting to show his age with a 4.45 ERA across 30.1 innings.

While the Dodgers still maintain a semi-comfortable lead over the NL West, there is no time for complacency. The team should be active at the trade deadline, and Kerry Miller of Bleacher Reports believes he has the perfect blueprint of how to fix Los Angeles.

Miller’s deadline blueprint for the Dodgers includes a “two birds, one stone” type of trade with the Miami Marlins that includes breakout star Kyle Stowers and reliever Anthony Bender heading to Los Angeles.

Stowers has been one of the biggest surprises this season with 22 home runs, 61 RBIs, and a .295 batting average in 97 games. It will be hard to pry the slugging left-handed hitter away from a Marlins team desperate for stars, but Stowers’ ascension may not align with the rest of the organization's plan to contend, and trading him could net a large return.

Miller suggests the Dodgers part ways with one, if not multiple, of the four outfield prospects ranked inside their farm system’s top 100 to get a deal done. Meanwhile, Bender has a 1.91 ERA and should be a cheap addition to the already established Stowers trade package.

The odds that Miami is willing to deal Stowers are slim. Potentially slimmer than slim, if that is possible, but if anyone can pull off that sort of deal, it is an overly aggressive Dodgers front office.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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