The Dodgers have already made one massive move, landing Tarik Skubal, and that kind of headline-grabbing addition usually comes with a little roster juggling on the back end. If Los Angeles decides to keep shopping, the front office will need room on the 40-man roster - and that means some familiar names could get squeezed out.
Andrew Friedman has spent the last few offseasons loading up early so the club doesn’t have to do as much heavy lifting at the deadline. Most of the time, that approach has worked.
The Jack Flaherty deal in 2024 was the big exception, while the Dodgers’ 2024 and 2025 deadlines were mostly quiet. But even when the deadline looks calm, the Dodgers still loom over it.
They’re always in the mix if the right opportunity opens up.
River Ryan was originally on the list of possible roster casualties before the Skubal trade changed the math. Los Angeles isn’t usually sentimental with homegrown players, though it does make exceptions now and then.
Dalton Rushing, Josue De Paula and Ryan all fit that category, but the push to get Skubal left the Dodgers with less room to protect everyone. Ryan has dealt with injuries on and off this season while working back from Tommy John surgery, but his four major league starts in 2024 showed enough promise to make him a meaningful part of that deal.
Ryan Ward looks like another player who could be used as trade currency if the Dodgers need to keep adding. He has appeared in just 20 major league games, but his profile could appeal to a team searching for a ready-made outfielder.
At 28, he’s older than the typical prospect, yet his power and control still make him useful. Ward hit .218 with a .738 OPS in his two short big league stretches, with much of that value tied to a .455 slugging percentage.
And for all the talk around him, the bigger issue is still the same: the Dodgers don’t really have a long-term place for him. If they moved him, it would be because they can’t keep stashing him.
Paul Gervase is in a similar spot, only with a bullpen twist. The Dodgers picked him up in last year’s three-team trade with the Rays and Reds, and he has already been shuffled back and forth three times this season.
Even so, he’s handled his limited chances well, posting a 2.35 ERA in 7 ⅔ innings while working anywhere from ⅔ of an inning to three innings at a time. That makes him a useful fresh arm, but also the kind of pitcher a team can spin into something else.
DFA him, then trade him for a minor league arm or cash - that’s the cleanest path, especially with a selling club likely willing to take a look.
Chayce McDermott may be the most obvious roster casualty of the group. When the Dodgers grabbed him from the Orioles in April after he was designated for assignment, they were clearly betting on a rebound.
Baltimore had viewed him as a top-five prospect as recently as 2025, but his major league track record was rough, with a 12.79 ERA in 12 ⅔ innings between 2024 and 2025. The Dodgers have given him a couple of looks this year - a scoreless inning against the Angels in May and then a two-run 1 ⅓ innings against the Orioles in June - but the results haven’t really moved the needle.
His 4.10 ERA in 26 ⅓ Triple-A innings doesn’t help much either. Unlike Gervase, McDermott may not even fetch a return; he could simply wind up on waivers.
The Dodgers would probably accept that.
In Other News...
Dodgers Rumor Could Put Two Key Lineup Roles In Play
Jeff Passan stirred the deadline market on his podcast by naming Zach Neto as a possible prize trade candidate, and the Dodgers are among the big-market clubs said to be in the mix. For a team that has already asked Mookie Betts to handle shortstop, the appeal is obvious: Neto would give Los Angeles another high-end infield option and another layer of flexibility as the front office weighs how to line up the roster for the stretch run.
A deal, though, would not be as simple as adding another bat and glove. Neto is productive, under control through 2030, and the Angels would have every reason to drive a steep price, which is why a serious pursuit could force the Dodgers to rethink more than one position on the roster. Betts could end up back at second base or right field, and any move that big would likely ripple into the outfield picture as well. [Read more 🡒]
Nike Just Gave Dodgers Fans A New Kobe Collectible To Want
Nike used a Dodger Stadium backdrop against the Red Sox to roll out its latest Kobe collection, a package built around the franchises look and the pull of one of the citys most enduring sports icons. The drop includes the Kobe 5 Protro and Kobe Air Force 1 Protro, along with apparel and accessories like T-shirts and batting gloves, giving fans a mix of on-field style and everyday wear tied to the Dodgers brand.
For Los Angeles collectors, the timing matters almost as much as the design. Early access is set for Aug. 8 and 9 in the city, with a wider public release coming Aug. 15 at select retailers, so this is one of those rare crossover items that should draw both sneakerheads and Dodgers fans looking for something a little different to track down. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Just Used A Quiet Depth Piece To Address A Need
The Dodgers used a little depth to patch a different part of the roster landscape just before the trade deadline, moving outfielder Jack Suwinski to the Rays in exchange for catcher Hunter Feduccia. It was the kind of under-the-radar transaction that can get lost amid bigger deadline noise, but it still speaks to how front offices sort through fit, timing and organizational need when the market starts to tighten.
For Tampa Bay, the appeal was adding another outfield option even with several already in place, banking on the idea that Suwinskis Triple-A track record can still translate more consistently at the major league level. For the Dodgers, it was a chance to turn a quiet depth piece into help at a position where coverage matters, and the real question now is how much value they can squeeze out of the return before the next roster squeeze arrives. [Read more 🡒]