LOS ANGELES — We’re less than a month away from MLB’s Aug. 3 trade deadline, and the market is far from defined. That’s not unusual for this time of year. Team executives usually focus on the amateur draft — which begins Saturday in Philadelphia — and shift gears to the deadline after the All-Star break.Still, we can start piecing together what the Dodgers might do. Similar to last year, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman would prefer to avoid being a buyer. Are there still ways for the World Series favorites to better their roster? Of course. Let’s dig in with our Dodgers beat writers, Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo.Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.With a potential labor dispute looming, how should the Dodgers approach this year’s trade deadline? Do they push all-in for another World Series by dealing controllable talent, or is the future of deadline deals centered around prospect swaps, just as Katie hinted at last week? — Cody S.How could the looming threat of a lockout, overhaul of salary structures, and roster rule changes after this year impact the Dodgers’ trade deadline plans? — Michael L.Ardaya: This is a relevant question for just about everyone in baseball, not just the Dodgers. I have no idea how executives will value players with club control beyond 2026. Do they treat the packages like you normally would for a guy with over a year of control, even if a lockout might wipe out some games in 2027? Another complicating factor: This year’s rental class, outside of Tarik Skubal, isn’t that great. It’s not shaping up to be a deep class of potential free agents on the position player front. Finding the correct value seems like an impossible task.To your question, there is the financial aspect. Even in a world with a prospective cap, one would imagine there would be some gradual implementation.For the Dodgers, there’s also this: a chance at history while the sport’s financial structure and roster rules are familiar. The Dodgers don’t usually view it as going “all-in” for a particular year, but they have a ton of potential chips to play to win their hand in 2026.What Verlander's retirement announcement says about him as a playerCody StavenhagenWoo: I’m interested in how labor uncertainty impacts the market overall, but I don’t see this influencing the Dodgers’ consistently calculated operations. They’re usually the ones driving the market, not vice versa.Fabian makes a great point. There’s no telling what the next CBA agreement will look like, or if what the Dodgers are doing will still be permitted. I’d understand if there were an internal incentive to capitalize on this window because of that. But it doesn’t sound like there is.