The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.The tradeDodgers get: LHP Kris Bubic
Royals get: RHP Carlos DuranIn limited market, Royals manage to find a matchDodgers: B
Royals: A-This is not a game-changer for either team, but it’s the kind of thing that works for both. The Royals had no reason to hold onto Bubic. He gave them some good years — and a great one last year — but he’s a free agent at the end of this season, he’s been on the IL since the middle of May, and he has yet to start a rehab assignment. It’s hard to get much in return for a player like that unless there’s a team with a ton of spare parts lying around that can afford to wait on a guy who has a good amount of upside with almost no certainty of being productive by the end of the year.Wait, that sounds like the Dodgers! So, the team that just traded for Tarik Skubal adds a little bit more just-in-case pitching depth — if Bubic helps, great, if not, the Dodgers will be fine — and the Royals get a hard-throwing reliever with good strikeout numbers who’s buried on the Dodgers’ depth chart but could probably help the Royals right away. The Royals needed to get something for Bubic, and managed to trade him to the one team that could actually afford to give up something potentially useful in return. — Chad JenningsDodgers playing the long game with eyes on OctoberDodgers: B+
