Dodgers Pull Off Trade Deadline Heist, Land Red Sox Top Prospect for Dustin May

Dodgers Pull Off Trade Deadline Heist, Land Red Sox Top Prospect for Dustin May originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Los Angeles Dodgers may not have made a blockbuster deal to acquire a superstar outfielder or Cy Young winner at the trade deadline. However, Los Angeles continues to finesse their way into winning. Not because of the MLB-ready pieces they added, like reliever Brock Stewart or outfielder Alex Call, but because of the impressive return they secured by trading pitcher Dustin May.

In a shocking deadline move, the Dodgers acquired the Boston Red Sox’s number five prospect outfielder James Tibbs III in a package for May, according to MLB insider Robert Murray.

While losing May, especially with the lack of durable arms in Los Angeles’ rotation, is not ideal, he was the odd man out with Cy Young winner Blake Snell returning soon. The right-hander also rejected a move to the bullpen, forcing the Dodgers to trade him.

Yet, somehow, Los Angeles came away with Boston with a deadline day steal. Tibbs III is not on the level of a Roman Anthony or Spener Jones, but he was the centerpiece in the Rafael Dever deal between Boston and the San Francisco Giants, thickening the plot.

Tibbs, a left-handed hitter, was the 13th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft by then Giants’ President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi. It is hard to ignore that Zaidi, now back with the Dodgers, had a say in who Los Angeles should target from Boston’s prospect list.

Splitting time between Single and Double-A, Tibbs III is slashing .232/.358/.402 with 13 home runs and 39 RBIs in his second season of professional baseball. The 22-year-old will likely sit comfortably inside the Dodgers’ updated Top 10 prospect list for the remainder of the season – solidifying the move as one of the heists of the deadline.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.