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The Royals are focused on moving Diekman, along with their other veterans, before the July 31 trade deadline.

MLB trade rumors: Dodgers could make ‘a strong play’ for Royals reliever Jake Diekman

The Dodgers have been linked to another reliever.

Los Angeles is interested in Royals left-hander Jake Diekman, according to a report from MLB.com, and the team may make a “strong play” for him before the July 31 trade deadline.

The 32-year-old holds an 0-6 record with a 4.97 ERA in 44 appearances with Kansas City this season. He has struck out 55 and walked 23 in 38 innings on the mound.

The Royals are focused on moving Diekman, along with outfielder Billy Hamilton, first baseman Lucas Duda and pitcher Ian Kennedy, over the next two weeks, according to an earlier report from MLB.com.

The Nationals also could pursue Diekman, the report says.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, are clearly looking to upgrade their bullpen. They’ve reportedly already inquired about multiple pitchers, including Brad Hand, Ken Giles, Felipe Vazquez and Will Smith, among others.

"Every year, going into the year, the bullpen performance is what keeps me up at night," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told ESPN last month. "And it's funny because the years that I've had the most confidence is probably the years where we've struggled the most, and the years where I've been the most afraid are the years where we've been the best."

Friedman said the team will not overspend to add bullpen help.

"We're comfortable being aggressive," Friedman said. "We're not comfortable being stupid."

The Dodgers entered play Wednesday in first place of the National League West with an MLB-best 63-34 record. They lead the second-place Diamondbacks by 14 games.

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