MLB trade rumors: Dodgers ‘increasingly confident’ on acquiring Sonny Gray, Yu Darvish or Justin Verlander

The Dodgers are “increasingly confident” about their chances to land one of Sonny Gray, Yu Darvish or Justin Verlander before the trade deadline, according to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi.

Los Angeles has the prospects to get any deal done, with Walker Buehler, Alex Verdugo, Yadier Alvarez and Willie Calhoun headlining its system. The club, which leads the majors with a 71-31 record, is known to be searching for starting pitching help in the wake of Clayton Kershaw’s injury.

Gray is the most likely of the trio to get dealt, with the Yankees and Astros leading the pack and the Brewers, Braves and Mariners serving as other suitors. The chances of Darvish being moved are about 50/50, but the Dodgers would be considered a major favorite if Texas decides to move him. Verlander’s situation is complicated due to his large contract and no-trade clause, though the Dodgers reportedly haven’t shown much interest in him to this point.

Adding a front-line starter like Gray, Darvish or Verlander would add a strong arm to a World Series contender that already has All-Stars Kershaw and Alex Wood headlining a rotation mix that includes Rich Hill, Hyun-jin Ryu, Kenta Maeda and the injured Brandon McCarthy and Scott Kazmir.

At this point, Darvish may be the most likely of the three to end up with the Dodgers — if the Rangers do in fact decide to move him. Darvish, a pending free agent, actually increased the chances he’d be dealt by Monday with a terrible performance against the Marlins last night.