Dodgers trade proposal moves on from very talented young player due to nowhere for him to play

Dodgers trade proposal moves on from very talented young player due to nowhere for him to play originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers have enjoyed a lot of success to start the 2026 campaign, something people probably weren't expecting in Pittsburgh.

However, the Pirates have a very good team, and while they're a bit different from the Dodgers, there's reason to believe both teams can be among the best in the National League in the long term. We already know what Los Angeles is, and now it's about Pittsburgh doing what it needs to do.

Adding more young talent should be at the top of that priority list, and the Dodgers can help them out if they want to move on from Ryan Ward, who unfortunately just doesn't have much of a place to play in Los Angeles, which is why the latest mock trade to send him to the Pirates would make a lot of sense.

Pirates Acquire: Ward, Patrick Copen

Dodgers Acquire: Levi Sterling, Jeter Martinez

“The Dodgers make this trade because they’re prioritizing pitching upside and long-term value over an older, MLB-ready bat.

“They move Ryan Ward because, while he is producing and close to MLB-ready, his profile is more of a limited defensive, power-only corner bat—a type they can often replace internally. In return, they target higher-upside pitching,” Ryan Shea of SI wrote.

I really like Ward as a player, and I'd be a bit disappointed to see him get traded by the Dodgers.

At 28 years old, I think he still has a big future if the Dodgers can figure some things out.

However, the harsh reality here is that Los Angeles just doesn't have a path for him to play in the immediate future, and trading him might be the best outcome.