Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers have the best record in baseball at the All-Star break, and that’s with them not playing to their fullest potential and weathering some injuries.
With the talent on the injured list — Edwin Diaz, Tyler Glasnow, Enrique Hernandez, Blake Snell, Will Smith — the Dodgers don’t exactly need to make any deals before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. At least, based on what we know, publicly. If they do bring in a marquee player, it’ll definitely be a luxury and a more defensive — rather than offensive — move.
When looking at the Dodgers’ roster, there’s no glaring need that jumps out. Earlier in the season, it seemed right-handed reliever was a bit of a weak spot, but that has been shored up with the emergence of Edgardo Henriquez, Will Klein and the recent return of Evan Phillips. Diaz is coming back and some starting pitchers will be pushed to the bullpen come the playoffs, so a reliever isn’t a terribly big need for them. Riley O’Brien was mentioned by name by Jeff Passan in an article last month, but with them being a surprise contender, moving their closer doesn’t seem like a prudent move.
The starting rotation — no matter how many arms there are — is always an area the Dodgers look to upgrade. Justin Wrobleski turning into an All-Star has helped bolster the rotation and also helps make up for the inconsistent seasons (thus far) for Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan. And when October rolls around, the Dodgers will probably only need four starting pitchers, meaning guys like Glasnow, Sheehan, Wrobleski will likely find themselves as relievers in the postseason.
Offensively, the Dodgers are pretty well set. Hernandez is coming back, Tommy Edman has been really good since his return from injury and Smith should be back sometime next month. If you want to nitpick, I guess second base and backup catcher would be about the only positions the Dodgers could explore before the deadline, but they won’t be making a splash with a big bat.
Let’s take a look at which MLB players the Dodgers could target this trade deadline.
Starting pitchers
RHP Joe Ryan, Twins
Ryan, 30, was first on the trade block last year, thanks to the Twins’ struggles. He has pitched to a 2.85 ERA, 2.77 FIP and a 22.9 K-BB% — 6th-best among qualified MLB starting pitchers. He’s a difference-maker and will command a requisite price.
The Twins in better shape this year thanks to them playing better, but also the American League being mostly mediocre. If they trade Ryan, who has another year of team control following 2026, they should get a pretty good haul. If the Dodgers and Twins hook up on a trade for Ryan, Minnesota would likely be able to land an immediate rotation replacement in such a deal. However, Ryan may not be as much of a difference-maker for the Dodgers as he would be for other teams.
LHP Tarik Skubal, Tigers
The unquestioned biggest name on the trade market, Skubal has not agreed to a contract extension with the Tigers and despite being just 3 1/2 games out of the final wild card spot in the AL, it would probably make sense to move him. The Dodgers absolutely don’t need Skubal, but we know Andrew Friedman is always interested in top-tier talent, and there might not be a starting pitcher better than Skubal.
I wrote about Skubal and the Dodgers back in December.
“For reasons unknown (it’s money, it’s always money), there’s a non-zero chance Tarik Skubal is traded by the Detroit Tigers this winter. Being the best pitcher in baseball, and seeing what the Dodgers’ starting pitching did this postseason, I thought it’d be fun to imagine a world in which they traded for the southpaw.
Skubal, 29, is coming off a second consecutive American League Cy Young award with the Tigers. He posted a 2.21 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 27.8 K-BB% and a 6.6 fWAR. He’s going into his final year of team control before he assuredly lands a deal that bests Zack Wheeler‘s $42 million average annual value. The Scott Boras client is in line for one of the biggest paydays a pitcher has ever received.”
Skubal missed six weeks after having loose bodies removed from his elbow — an injury whose prognosis originally was a 2-3 month recovery timetable — and has been good, but still a bit below his standard: 3.62 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 29.8 K-BB%. Still, any team trading for Skubal would be getting one of the best pitchers in the game and a difference-maker in the playoffs.
The proposal I made in the December article looks like an overpay now — Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, Sheehan, Joendry Vargas, Wrobleski — mostly because Wrobleski has taken off. However, if the Dodgers were to acquire Skubal before the deadline, it’ll likely cost one of Sheehan or Wrobleski, one of the highly touted outfield prospects and maybe even a guy like Ryan.
Finally, the biggest reason for the Dodgers to acquire Skubal — other than what’s laid out above — is to keep him from going to another NL contender, namely the Braves or Brewers. Atlanta could desperately use a high-end starting pitcher and with Brandon Woodruff‘s season potentially being over, combined with Kyle Harrison‘s elbow soreness, Milwaukee could be a bit more desperate to land Skubal. It would be a very CC Sabathia move for the team with the second-best record in baseball.
Position players
C Jonah Heim, Athletics
Heim has already been traded once — from Atlanta to Sacramento, and he doesn’t really have a ton of value to the A’s long-term because Shane Langeliers is one of the game’s best catchers. His 158 wRC+ against left-handed pitching would compliment Dalton Rushing pretty well. If the Dodgers acquired a player like Heim, it would be because they’re more concerned about Smith’s neck injury than they’ve let on. Trading for Heim to be the No. 3 catcher wouldn’t make a ton of sense, but if they did, he has very limited experience at first base (18 innings) and third base (2/3 of an inning).
C Ben Rortvedt, Mets
Hello, old friend. The Dodgers tried to sneak Rortvedt through waivers over the winter — first after signing him to a $1.25 million deal to avoid arbitration and after claiming him in February. He was designated for assignment and the Mets claimed him. Rortvedt who has a .691 OPS in Triple-A, would be the perfect No. 3 catcher for the Dodgers’ roster. He’s somewhat familiar with the pitching staff and wouldn’t need a ton of MLB playing time. He’d be an upgrade over Eliezer Alfonzo and Chuckie Robinson.
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The Dodgers don’t have a ton of needs, thanks to stacked roster. Acquiring a starting pitcher would be a luxury, while the only bat to acquire would be the third-string catcher. Of course, this is contingent on everyone staying healthy until the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
