The Los Angeles Dodgers are on a mission to three-peat as World Series Champions. At 39-22, they hold sole possession of the National League West, six games ahead of the second-place San Diego Padres.
Led by a core of stars that include Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker and Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers are well on their way to a 14th straight postseason berth. Despite an MLB-leading .787 team OPS, Los Angeles is always a threat to upgrade its lineup at the trade deadline.
CBS Sports' Mike Axisa lists the Dodgers as a potential landing spot for Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena. However, a move like that may require some flexibility from Betts.
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"The Dodgers never let good stand in the way of great," Axisa wrote. "Shifting Mookie Betts back over to second base to make room for Pena can't be ruled out. Again, I'm not saying a Pena trade will happen or is likely to happen. I'm just saying I can see how it would happen at the deadline."
The eight-time All-Star does have experience at second base. He's accumulated 818 innings at the spot and has a .986 fielding percentage. More than half of those innings came in 2023, recording 485 innings at second base. However, he didn't play the position at all in 2025 and hasn't so far in 2026.
Despite that, it may be a change that the Dodgers push for if they can acquire Pena at the right price. The 28-year-old has appeared in 24 games this season, accumulating 97 at-bats, 27 hits, 17 runs scored, three home runs and 10 RBIs. He is also slashing .278/.324/.412 with a .736 OPS.
However, it won't be long until Pena is up for an extension. He is set to become a free agent after the 2027 season, after playing out his final year under arbitration.
Not only would Betts potentially need to switch back to a position he hasn't played since 2024, but the Dodgers would also need to weigh the long-term financial implications of acquiring Pena.
