Matt Johnson
The Los Angeles Dodgers boast one of the best farm systems in baseball right now, with their pipeline of prospects particularly deep in the outfield. While the MLB trade deadline is still months out, the back-to-back champions could flip one of their ascending youngsters this summer.
MLB insider Robert Murray of Fansided.com wrote that there’s already some buzz around the league regarding Dodgers outfield prospect James TIbbs III being a trade candidate this summer.
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- James Tibbs stats (MILB): .377/.450/.887, 1.337 OPS, 7 home runs, 4 doubles, 16 runs scored, 13 RBI in 53 at-bats
Tibbs, age 23, has been tearing the cover off the baseball at Triple-A Oklahoma City to start the season. The 5-foot-11 outfielder boasts the second-most home runs in Triple-A and is tied for the third-most hits (19) with the highest OPS in the upper minors.
Los Angeles acquired the left-handed hitter from the Boston Red Sox at the MLB trade deadline last summer in exchange for Dustin May. While May spent just half a season in Boston, Tibbs has been one of the most productive prospects in baseball ever since joining the Dodgers organization.
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There would certainly be a golden opportunity here for Los Angeles to effectively sell high on Tibbs, acquiring him at a discount last summer and flipping him at a premium price in 2026. He would certainly be one of the more intriguing MLB-ready prospects available to teams.
However, Murray also wrote that he believes the Dodgers might like to keep Tibbs for the foreseeable future. A big part of the reason for that is because of his contract, which would be extraordinarily team-friendly to a club that currently has a $400 million payroll.
Whatever path Los Angeles chooses, it already won the trade with Boston and is now poised to either keep Tibbs on a discount contract for years to come or flip him for proven talent who can help the club potentially three-peat as World Series champions.
