The Dodgers may have already made their biggest splash, but that doesn’t mean the work is finished.
After landing Tarik Skubal, Los Angeles is in a very different spot heading into the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The club had already made clear it was willing to jump on a true star if one became available, and Skubal fit that bill. At the same time, the Dodgers never viewed this deadline as one driven by glaring holes on the roster.
That’s why the rest of the week could wind up being more about fine-tuning than another headline grab. Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers were in Skubal-or-bust mode based on how they were evaluating the market, which points to a quieter finish than fans usually expect from L.A.
Still, there’s room for smaller moves. The Dodgers could move Alex Call and Eric Lauer off the active roster, add catching depth, or deal one of their outfield prospects for an infield or pitching prospect. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the front office is still working through multiple possibilities.
“Yeah, we’re still having a number of conversations on a number of different fronts,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “Again, for us, we’re always trying to balance and keep one eye on the present and one eye on the future.
Just kind of balancing all that, so a lot of different conversations on a number of different fronts. How likely is tough to say, but we’ll continue to work through.”
What the Dodgers do not appear to need is another major MLB roster upgrade. The offense doesn’t have a clear opening, the bullpen is already loaded with high-leverage arms, and the rotation is so deep that some starters will be pushed into relief work.
Friedman put it plainly when asked about another upgrade.
“Less likely,” Friedman said of adding another potential upgrade for their roster. “I think coming into this deadline, again, our mindset was we’re going to be really aggressive for one player. If that player doesn’t get moved, if that player goes somewhere else, it’s a different mindset.
“So never say never, but fortunately, we don’t have that acute need where we have to do something or our team is in real danger.”
Even if the Dodgers stand pat from here, they’re already viewed as the clear World Series favorite. The bar for any additional move is sky-high, especially with a roster that might already be the most talented group the organization has put together.
That strength creates a tricky October roster picture. Assuming everyone is healthy, some capable players will wind up on the taxi squad, and the Dodgers will still have to make tough calls. Even with injuries, the depth gives them plenty of cover.
Call and Lauer look like likely trade candidates, though both are still on the roster for now. The current projection has 11 position players and 12 pitchers locked in, leaving three spots up for grabs. Because postseason clubs can carry a mix of 12 to 14 position players and 12 to 14 pitchers, those final decisions matter.
In that projection, Alek Thomas fills a role as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner, much like Justin Dean in 2025 and Hyeseong Kim in 2024. Call stays in the mix there too, though another catcher could make more sense if it opens Dalton Rushing as a hitter or Ryan Ward as a left-handed bat. Jack Dreyer takes the last bullpen spot as the fourth lefty.
That leaves the Dodgers with a group that, on paper, includes 12 position players and 13 pitchers, plus Shohei Ohtani functioning in both lanes, which effectively makes it 13 position players and 14 pitchers.
Projected position player roster locks: 11
C: Will Smith
1B: Freddie Freeman
2B: Tommy Edman
3B: Max Muncy
SS: Mookie Betts
LF: Teoscar Hernández
CF: Andy Pages
DH: Shohei Ohtani
Bench: Dalton Rushing, Miguel Rojas, Kiké Hernández
Final roster spots (2): Alek Thomas, Alex Call
Taxi Squad/Depth: Eliezer Alfonzo, Alex Freeland, Ryan Ward
Projected pitching staff roster locks: 12
Starters: Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Ohtani (counts as position player), Tyler Glasnow (bullpen?)
Right-handed relievers: Edwin Diaz, Evan Phillips, Brock Stewart, Edgardo Henriquez, Roki Sasaki
Left-handed relievers: Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Justin Wrobleski
Final roster spots (1): Jack Dreyer
Taxi Squad/Depth: Emmet Sheehan, Will Klein, Blake Treinen, Eric Lauer, Ben Casparius, Kyle Hurt, Seth Halvorsen
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