The Dodgers head into the All-Star break looking like the same machine they’ve been for the last two years: deep, relentless, and annoyingly hard to knock off track. Their 61-36 record is the best in baseball, and they’ve done it while navigating a rotation missing Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, plus a bullpen without Edwin Diaz, the All-Star closer they added this offseason.
That kind of depth is exactly why the trade deadline always feels a little different in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are built to keep winning now, but they also have enough talent spread across the organization that they can think about July 31 without losing sight of the future. With the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaching, the real question is how they balance adding help with protecting the farm system.
That tension puts a few familiar names in the spotlight. Three players who’ve been part of the Dodgers’ first-half success - at the big-league level and in the minors - could wind up in another uniform by Aug. 4.
Eryck Lauer is one of the more obvious candidates. The left-hander came over from the Toronto Blue Jays after being designated for assignment in May, and the Dodgers quickly showed again how well they can revive a pitcher’s value.
Lauer arrived with a 6.69 ERA, then posted a 3.12 mark in seven appearances for Los Angeles. His name is on the list largely because Glasnow and Snell are both making progress toward returning.
Since Lauer cost the Dodgers very little to acquire, it wouldn’t be a shock if they turned him into something useful for another postseason push or for the farm system. He’s also an impending free agent, which only adds to the odds he’s wearing a different uniform soon.
James Outman is another possible mover. The outfielder is hitting .269 in Triple-A with nine home runs and 40 RBIs, and he also got his first 20 major league appearances this season.
Those looks showed why he’s still viewed as the No. 19 overall prospect in the system. His .218/.283/.455 slash line suggests the power is real, but maybe the best path for him is an everyday role somewhere else.
The Dodgers’ outfield is crowded, and that makes a regular job in Los Angeles tough to find. At 28, and still a rookie, he looks like the kind of player another club could try to unlock.
The least likely of the trio to go is River Ryan, unless he’s part of a major deal. Ryan is the Dodgers’ No. 6 overall prospect and their top pitching prospect.
Before Tommy John surgery wiped out a year, the 27-year-old had put up a 2.76 ERA in a small sample at Triple-A in 2024 and a 1.77 ERA in four major league starts. His comeback season in Triple-A has been bumpier, with a 4.46 ERA, and he’s now on the injured list.
Even so, teams know the arm is real. The Dodgers wouldn’t move him casually, but they’d likely have to listen if the right blockbuster came along - something along the lines of the Detroit Tigers trying to trade Tarik Skubal.
In Other News...
Dodgers Suddenly Face A Veteran Exit And A Bigger Roster Crossroads
The Dodgers pitching depth took another small hit when a veteran left-hander chose free agency after being designated for assignment, a move that came once Landon Knack was activated from the injured list. It is the kind of roster churn that has become familiar for a club trying to keep its rotation covered while waiting for injured starters to work back, and it adds one more layer to a staff that has been constantly in motion.
Freddie Freeman also offered a reminder that the season can make long-term questions feel distant, saying he is focused on this year and would like to get to 20 major league seasons. Meanwhile, Dave Roberts addressed Eric Lauers place as a sixth starter and acknowledged the possibility that he could become a trade piece before the Aug. 3 deadline if the Dodgers get healthier in the rotation, which leaves the club balancing immediate innings against whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers May Finally Have The Young Arm This Rotation Needs
With the All-Star break here and the Dodgers sitting atop the standings, the front office can afford to think beyond the next series and toward the kind of rotation help that tends to matter most in October. One name worth watching is River Ryan, whose return from injury has been moving along with the kind of patience Los Angeles prefers when it is dealing with a young arm it believes can matter later.
Andrew Friedman has made it clear the Dodgers are not interested in rushing the process, even with the need for another starter looming in the background. Ryan is expected to work his way back into the mix later this season, and if everything goes smoothly from here, the club may finally get a better sense of how soon he can become part of the answer rather than just another promising arm on the way up. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Have A Bigger Roki Sasaki Concern Than They Realized
Roki Sasakis first season in Los Angeles has been bumpy enough that the Dodgers are spending the All-Star break looking for answers, not just results. He finished his final start before the break with six innings of work, allowing four hits and three earned runs, and the broader line has been hard to ignore: a 3-5 record and a 5.33 ERA through 16 starts.
The encouraging part for the Dodgers is that Sasaki is still in the rotation, which gives the club time to keep working through what has gone wrong. The less comforting part is how quickly the conversation has shifted from simple command issues to a deeper mechanical concern, and the next few weeks should tell whether the break gives him a reset or only a brief pause in a season that has already asked a lot of him. [Read more 🡒]