It’s become apparent that the Los Angeles Dodgers are keen to acquire a starting pitcher at the trade deadline in hopes of avoiding another postseason disappointment and finally reaching the World Series. One rumor to emerge that would give the Dodgers the starting pitcher they covet involves Los Angeles trading outfielder Yasiel Puig to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Cole Hamels. There are plenty of reasons for the Dodgers to be skeptical about pulling off such a trade, but ultimately it would be a great trade that could help Los Angeles achieve its goal of reaching the World Series.

Obviously, Puig is an incredible talent and trading a player like that is not something a franchise takes lightly. But his issues with his teammates, his lack of proper baseball fundamentals, his occasional mental mistakes on the field and his sharp decline in production since his rookie season are enough for Los Angeles to consider trading him.

On top of that, the outfield is an area where the Dodgers have depth, meaning they could conceivably trade him without a huge drop off in production from his replacement. Los Angeles has Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier, two players with virtually unmovable contracts, to play the corner outfield positions. They also have a rising star in Joc Pederson in center field, as well as competent backup outfielders in Scott Van Slyke and Alex Guerrero, giving them plenty of options in the outfield if they were to trade Puig.

Suffice it to say the Dodgers have depth in their outfield, but the same can not be said for their starting rotation, which makes it logical for them to trade an outfielder in order to upgrade their rotation. Unless Los Angeles wants to part with Pederson, Puig is the best trade chip the Dodgers have among outfielders. Considering his outrageous talent level, Puig can play a big role in delivering the frontline starter that Los Angeles wants.

That’s when Hamels enters the picture. Hamels is a top-of-the-rotation starter with a history of success in the postseason that the Phillies would be willing to trade if the price is right. With Hamels pitching alongside Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, the Dodgers would three bona fide aces more than capable of carrying them through the playoffs and delivering a World Series. If they don’t acquire Hamels or a comparable starting pitcher at the deadline, the Dodgers would be rolling the dice that Kershaw and Greinke alone would be enough to win four games in both the NLCS and World Series.

Ultimately, the difference between Hamels and the Dodger’s third best starting pitcher is far greater than the difference between Puig and the slew of outfielders Los Angeles has who could take his place in right field. As a starting pitcher, Hamels could make a bigger impact in the postseason than Puig. If the ultimate goal of the Dodgers is to win a World Series in the near future, Hamels can help them achieve that better than Puig, considering the team’s lack of depth in the starting rotation and the fact that even without Puig Los Angeles would not exactly be starved for offensive production.

The lone caveat of a Puig-for-Hamels trade would be the contract that Hamels comes with, but adding payroll doesn’t appear to be an issue for the Dodgers. In fact, Hamels being under contract beyond this season instead of being a rental player is one more reason why giving up Puig to acquire him makes sense. It may not be a move that will go down well with the Los Angeles fanbase, but trading Puig to acquire Hamels would ultimately be beneficial for the Dodgers in their quest to win a World Series.

Bryan Zarpentine is a Featured writer at www.RantSports.com.  Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.