With the trade deadline creeping closer, the Dodgers are staring at the kind of decision that can shape the rest of their season. Last year, they barely blinked at the deadline, making only two notable additions in outfielder Alex Call and right-handed reliever Brock Stewart before trusting the roster they had already built. That quiet approach worked out just fine, since it ended with a second straight World Series title.
This year feels different. With championship expectations back in full force, the Dodgers may need to make a more aggressive move, and the clearest concern sits in the rotation.
Sonja Chen of MLB.com pointed to starting pitching as the biggest issue, and the numbers behind the problem are hard to ignore. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow have combined for just 42 2/3 innings, while Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan have both had their share of struggles.
There is still some internal hope here. Snell is working back from surgery to remove left elbow loose bodies, and Glasnow is recovering from lower back spasms.
The ideal timeline has Snell returning to the rotation by mid-August, with Glasnow following near the end of that month. But if either one hits a snag, the Dodgers could be pushed into the market for outside help before the deadline.
That is where Tarik Skubal enters the picture. The Tigers’ left-hander, the reigning two-time American League Cy Young award winner, is the biggest name available heading into the Aug. 3 deadline. He missed 39 games after surgery to remove bone chips in his left elbow, but when he has been on the mound, he has still looked like one of Detroit’s most dependable starters.
The Dodgers are expected to be in the mix, and Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times made his stance clear in his latest column: get it done.
“He’s there for the taking and, more than any other team, the asset-rich Dodgers are in the best position to take him. They have the best minor leaguers.
They have the best fringe major leaguers. Give the Tigers whatever anonymous talents they desire because, as Dodgers fans have learned, nobody will be lamenting the lost kids when the big leaguers are parading down Figueroa.”
There is also a separate update on Shohei Ohtani, who was absent from the All-Star Game festivities in Philadelphia and did not pitch the weekend before against the Arizona Diamondbacks. His first start after the break had been lined up for the Dodgers’ three-game series in the Bronx, but that is off the table now, according to Jack Harris of the California Post. The hope is that Ohtani will at least be in the lineup for Friday’s opener against the Yankees.
The team confirmed Thursday that Ohtani will not make a pitching start during the three-game set in New York, which was not exactly a surprise after the knee treatment he received over the All-Star break. Instead, the Dodgers will turn to Roki Sasaki on Friday, Emmet Sheehan on Saturday and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
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Dodgers Finally Got The Injury Update Fans Have Been Waiting For
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Daz has already taken another step in his recovery, while Hernndez is working his way back into game action and giving the Dodgers a better sense of when reinforcements might arrive. Blake Snell is also starting his own path back after elbow surgery, but the Dodgers are still waiting on Will Smith to show progress from his neck injury, leaving Roberts and the front office with a few more boxes to check before the picture is complete. [Read more 🡒]