Dodgers Rumors: Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto And Other Players Linked To Trade And Free Agent Deals

The Los Angeles Dodgers have yet to make a serious offseason acquisition, though a number of players have been linked to the club in recent weeks. Bryce Harper, Trevor Bauer, Corey Kluber, J.T. Realmuto, D.J. LeMahieu, Martin Maldonado, Jose Abreu, as well as Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, are just some of the names that have been rumored to be part of a deal to join the National League champions.

The Dodgers are reportedly not among the teams pursuing shortstop Manny Machado but are considered one of the top contenders to land Harper. ESPN's Tim Kurkjian listed the Dodgers as one of the three favorites in the Harper sweepstakes and described the Las Vegas native as a "perfect fit" in Los Angeles.

Despite an interest in landing an elite bat, the Dodgers might have stronger intentions of strengthening the starting rotation. Rich Hill, 38, is entering his final year of a three-year contract, while Alex Wood did not make one start in the postseason.

After mostly sitting out the 2017-18 offseason, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had indicated that the Dodgers would be very active in the free agent and trade markets. There have been no reports of any impending deals but Friedman, who lost the services of general manager Farhan Zaidi to the rival San Francisco Giants, has the payroll flexibility to sign a top free agent and to negotiate a deal with teams seeking to offload high-priced contracts in exchange for prospects.

The Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners are just a few of the teams that have shown signs of rebuilding.

A pressing need is an established catcher, making Realmuto and Maldonado top targets for Los Angeles. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal reported that the New York Mets are looking to put together a deal with the Marlins to acquire Realmuto, but Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports claims there are 14 teams in the hunt to land Realmuto, as the Marlins seem intent on finishing where they left off from last year's selloff that included MVP Christian Yelich and slugger Marcell Ozuna.

Players on the current roster that could be dealt include Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo and Ross Stripling. The Dodgers have two catching prospects — Will Smith and Keibert Ruiz — who could be included in a deal. The Dodgers' top pitching prospect is Dustin May, who might be deemed untouchable unless the Dodgers receive a frontline starter in exchange.