Leading up to the trade deadline, we're examining packages of prospects the Phillies should look to acquire in potential deals for their talented veterans. We'll go team-by-team, looking only at realistic contenders and trade partners.
We've already examined the Orioles, Blue Jays, Yankees, Tigers and Mariners.
Today, we'll look at the star-studded Dodgers, who went into the All-Star break with the best record in the National League:
Cole Hamels is the most attractive trade piece the Phillies have to offer. He's 30 years old, he's having his best season since 2011 and he's playoff-proven.
The Phils don't seem to be "shopping" Hamels per se, but they'll listen to offers. Of course, it would take an enormous return for them to trade their homegrown lefty ace.
There aren't many teams capable of taking on Hamels' salary and also parting with prospects. Hamels will be owed at least $103.5 million from Aug. 1 through the end of 2018.
Enter the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team equipped with the money and prospects to pry Hamels away from the Phillies.
The Dodgers entered this season with a payroll of $230 million. When you spend that much, anything less than a World Series title is a failure.
Approximately $50 million will come off L.A.'s payroll next season, so they could certainly fit Hamels in. Josh Beckett's $17 million will be off the books, as could the combined $20 million the Dodgers are paying Dan Haren and Brian Wilson.
Hamels has made Philadelphia his de facto home. But he's a Southern California kid, so a team like the Dodgers would be one of the few he'd likely consider leaving his comfort zone for.
Do the Dodgers need Hamels? It's an interesting question. When you reach a certain point with payroll and expectations, you have to do anything and everything to better your chances at winning it all. The Dodgers haven't won it all since 1988.
A 1-2-3 of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels would be so good that it would be almost unfair to the rest of baseball. That's easily the best rotation in the game and one that every other NL playoff team would be frightened to face in a short series.
At 54-43, the Dodgers already have the best record in the National League. But their lead over the Giants is just one game, and the Dodgers are only two games better than the second NL wild-card team. It's an extremely tight playoff picture, so it's not as though L.A. can feel completely comfortable with its roster through the All-Star break.
The Dodgers' biggest need right now is starting pitching. Haren has struggled lately and Beckett is on the disabled list. L.A.'s lineup is filled and there's really no bat on the market worth trading for.
If the Dodgers do make a play for Hamels, it would have to begin with outfielder Joc Pederson.
There have been rumblings around baseball that the Dodgers will not trade Pederson, who continues to mash no matter what level he's at. The 22-year-old has played each outfield spot and hit .324/.445/.572 with 17 homers and 43 RBIs in his first full season at Triple A.
Full disclosure, Pacific Coast League numbers are always inflated because of the way the ball travels out there and the small dimensions of the ballparks. But Pederson has been great everywhere, hitting .306 in 399 minor-league games with a very impressive .404 on-base percentage and ever-present power.
The Dodgers have a perceived outfield surplus, but it's really an overblown issue. Yasiel Puig is the only true everyday talent in that outfield. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are nice, if overpaid players. Carl Crawford can't stay healthy and is no longer productive. Scott Van Slyke is a bench bat, not an everyday outfielder.
So it makes sense that L.A. wishes to hold onto Pederson. For one, they'll need the outfield help. They'll also need to have an inexpensive everyday player somewhere.
But if you're the Phillies, there's no way you trade your lefty ace in his prime unless you bring back a game-changing prospect. Pederson is just that, and he'd also fill the Phils' biggest need.
Shortstop/third baseman Corey Seager is another player in the Dodgers' system to keep an eye on. The younger brother of Mariners stud third baseman Kyle Seager, Corey was L.A.'s first-round pick in 2012. He's still just 20 years old and has destroyed the competition at High-A Rancho Cucamonga this season, hitting .352 with a 1.044 OPS, 34 doubles, 18 homers and 70 RBIs in 80 games. Again, those California League numbers are skewed. But still, very impressive for the 6-foot-4 left-handed hitter who was rated the game's 34th-best prospect by MLB.com entering the year.
Left-handed pitcher Julio Urias is another standout prospect in the Dodgers' system. Urias made it to the Futures Game at age 17, which is unheard of. He's a 5-foot-11 southpaw who throws in the low-to-mid 90s and has shown a decent curveball and changeup. Urias' youth is appealing because, at this rate, he could be ready for the majors by age 19 or 20.
Jim Bowden of ESPN.com several weeks ago proposed a trade of Hamels for Pederson, Urias and 27-year-old second baseman Alex Guerrero, who signed a big deal out of Cuba but has been supplanted by Dee Gordon. Guerrero has raked in the minors and would be a very appealing infield option for the Phils.
That package seems almost too good to be true, especially if the Phillies want to avoid paying half or more than half of Hamels' remaining salary in a trade.
It does show, though, just how much Hamels is worth, and how drastically a Hamels-to-L.A. trade would shift the balance of power in the National League.