The Los Angeles Dodgers are in financial straits right now so I don’t see them being able to make any major moves. I would trade Carlos Monasterios to the Marlins for lefty starting pitcher Nate Robertson who would be a solid back of the rotation starter for the Dodgers. I would then deal 26-year old righty swinging shortstop Chin-Ling Hu to the Brewers for righty reliever Todd Coffey. Finally I would trade catcher Gorman Erickson to the Blue Jays for Jose Molina. Robertson, Coffey and Molina are not names that jump off the page but they would help the Dodgers the last two months of the season.

The Dodgers will likely look to improve the bench and find a new backup catcher. Mike Redmond and Humberto Quintero could be targets that would allow Russell Martin to take a day off once in a while. Corey Patterson, Adam Kennedy, Craig Counsell, Mike Fontenot, Jeff Baker, Jeff Keppinger, Ryan Church, Akinori Iwamura, Bobby Crosby and Ronny Cedeno might be able to help the Dodgers out off the bench. The Dodgers are 45-37 on the season which has them in 2nd place in the N.L. West, 4 games behind the Padres. I don’t think they have to make massive changes to win this season but a couple of minor deals could boost the team.

The Dodgers don’t seem to have much faith in A.J. Ellis. With that in mind they might be looking for a new backup catcher. Veteran hands like Mike Redmond, Dioner Navarro, Gerald Laird and Humberto Quintero are all likely available. But they could look to try to get a younger catcher to groom in guys like Landon Powell, Bobby Wilson, Taylor Teagarden or J.R. Towles. I’m thinking that the Dodgers can get any of these guys for cash or a C-type prospect.

The Padres are going to try to move righty starting pitcher Chris Young over the winter and he would make a nice fit in the Dodgers’ starting rotation. With that in mind the Dodgers should offer outfielders Xavier Paul, Jason Repko and a prospect to the Padres. With the Padres dearth of offense they would probably jump at this kind of deal as long as they weren’t worried about making a trade within the division.

The Dodgers have their eyes on starting pitching as the trade deadline approaches. They definately need one starting pitcher and possibly two. The Dodgers would like to get ahold of Jeremy Guthrie of the Orioles but that would likely cost them Xavier Paul, Blake DeWitt and either James McDonald or Cory Wade. I would make either of those deals as Guthrie is a very underrated pitcher. The Dodgers will try to put together something to try to lure the Blue Jays into making a trade with Roy Halladay coming to L.A. but they might not have enough good prospects to make that happen. They could go after Cliff Lee of the Indians but that would likely cost them Paul, DeWitt, Wade and McDonald. Still, that is a trade that would make perfect sense for the Dodgers. They could even expand the deal to include Carl Pavano. If the Dodgers want to buy low then they will consider calling the Pirates and ask about righties Ian Snell, Jeff Karstens and lefty Tom Gorzelanny. The price wouldn’t be too high for any of those three pitchers. The Red Sox wouldn’t likely part with either Michael Bowden or Clay Buchholz for what the Dodgers are willing to offer. The D-Backs might be receptive to dealing Jon Garland/Doug Davis to the rival Dodgers as long as the price is right. The Padres would be willing to trade Chad Gaudin or Kevin Correia for fringe prospects. Andy Sonnanstine could likely be had from the Rays for either McDonald, DeWitt or Wade. The Nationals will also be calling the Dodgers about Scott Olsen and the price will be cheap if they want him. The Reds might be willing to trade Bronson Arroyo or Homer Bailey but they wouldn’t come cheap. The Twins would probably have an interest in Blake DeWitt and either Wade or McDonald in return for rookie starting pitcher Andy Swarzak. Look for the Dodgers to be aggressive in the trading market as they will try to improve the starting rotation.