The Dodgers handled the Mets 4-2 on Friday night, but the bigger conversation in Los Angeles is still centered on the trade deadline.
Roki Sasaki gave the club exactly what it needed on the mound, striking out nine over seven innings to pick up his fourth win of the season. Evan Phillips gave up a solo homer in his only inning, and Tanner Scott finished it off for save No. 16.
The offense did its damage in chunks. Miguel Rojas opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, Shohei Ohtani added another sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Kyle Tucker slammed the door with a two-run homer in the eighth.
Even with that win pushing the Dodgers to 66-38, the roster questions keep coming. Eric Lauer remains a name to watch in trade chatter, and that speculation has not gone away despite Shohei Ohtani being shut down from pitching for the foreseeable future.
With Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow both nearing a return to the rotation, and with other contenders searching for a steady veteran arm, Lauer’s future could be decided by Aug. 4.
There’s also growing noise around Detroit ace Tarik Skubal. Earlier this month, it was reported the Dodgers were not interested, but rival executives still seem convinced Los Angeles could jump in late. MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported that other teams are still watching the Dodgers closely.
"Rivals worry that the Dodgers might be underselling their interest in Tarik Skubal," Heyman wrote. "Dodgers people have suggested they have limited interest in Skubal since Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are working their way back to join their three All-Star starters: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Justin Wrobleski."
The other obvious issue is behind the plate. Will Smith has been out since early June, and Dalton Rushing has struggled, hitting just .205 over his last 30 games. That leaves the Dodgers with a thinner margin for error as they push toward a third straight World Series title, and it makes clear that a plan at catcher has to be in place depending on when Smith can return.
As the deadline approaches, Los Angeles is still being watched closely on multiple fronts - from Lauer to Skubal to the catcher situation - even after another win on the field.
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Dodgers Seem Poised To Cash In On An Outfield Squeeze
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Ryan Ward has been part of that equation this season, splitting time between Triple-A and the majors while giving the front office another name to weigh in a busy market. His big-league stint was brief, but the Dodgers do not need much convincing when there is a path to turn an excess piece into a more useful return, and this is the kind of decision that can shape both the stretch run and the organizations next wave of talent. [Read more 🡒]