The Dodgers are heading into the Aug. 3 trade deadline with a roster that doesn’t appear to have any glaring holes, which puts the front office in an interesting spot. Instead of chasing a splash, Los Angeles could end up making a move that trims from its own surplus, especially on the pitching side.
That’s where the speculation has started to sharpen. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic predicted the Dodgers will deal away a starting pitcher before the deadline, continuing a recent pattern for the club.
"Another starter is dealt," Ardaya wrote as his prediction for LA. "The Dodgers, for the fourth deadline in a row, wind up trading another starting pitcher off their big-league roster. It was Noah Syndergaard in 2023, James Paxton in 2024 and Dustin May in 2025.
"Eric Lauer could make some sense - so long as the Dodgers are still optimistic their rotation could get back to full strength eventually."
Lauer has become the name to watch. The left-hander has completely changed the conversation around his season since landing in Los Angeles in a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this year. He has given the Dodgers useful innings and, for now, strong results.
Through eight appearances with Los Angeles, Lauer has a 3.35 ERA, and the Dodgers are 8-0 in those games.
The problem is fit. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are expected back from injury by the end of August, and Shohei Ohtani is currently out because of a knee injury, though the team expects him back at some point this year. If everyone gets healthy, Lauer may not have a rotation spot waiting for him.
Los Angeles could try to push him into the bullpen, but if the roster is at full strength, he probably wouldn’t have a place on the postseason roster either. That makes him a logical candidate for a deadline move, especially since he’s set to become a free agent after the season.
Emmet Sheehan is another starter who has surfaced in trade chatter, but the Dodgers would be far less likely to move him unless the return was significant. He is just entering arbitration-eligibility this year, which gives Los Angeles more reason to hold on unless another team makes a strong enough offer.
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Kik Hernndez is due back Tuesday, Edwin Daz on Wednesday, and Blake Snell is also trending toward a return after his rehab work. Shohei Ohtani remains in the lineup even while he is not pitching, with Dave Roberts saying his hitting and running are not compromising his health, which only adds to the sense that the Dodgers are trying to balance immediate needs with a bigger-picture deadline plan. [Read more 🡒]