The Dodgers are staring at the trade deadline the way contenders always do: not as a luxury, but as a necessity. Even with the best record in baseball, this roster has been hit hard by injuries, and the holes are obvious enough that the front office should already have a shopping list.
That list starts with offense, and more specifically, catching help. Seattle’s Mitch Garver is having a rough season on the surface, hitting just .184/.311/.316 in 135 plate appearances, but the Dodgers don’t need him to be a star.
They need a bat that can handle left-handed pitching while Will Smith remains out. Smith has been on the injured list since early June and was moved to the 60-day IL, leaving a real void behind the plate.
Dalton Rushing has gotten the bulk of the work in his absence and has been productive against southpaws overall, hitting .255/.345/.412, but he’s also in a 2-23 slump since July 6. Behind him, Chuckie Robinson and Eliézer Alfonzo have combined to hit .114 (4-35) in that stretch.
Garver has at least been useful in limited chances against lefties, posting a .229/.351/.333 line, and he brings championship experience from the Texas Rangers’ 2023 title run. If Smith comes back during the regular season, Garver could still fit as a platoon bat at first base or designated hitter if Freddie Freeman or Shohei Ohtani run into trouble.
The rotation is the next place the Dodgers could use a boost, even though it has held up well overall. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell have both dealt with injuries, while Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan have had their own growing pains.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the lone steady right-handed presence in the group, and with Shohei Ohtani shut down for the mean time, another right-handed starter would make sense. That’s where Clay Holmes comes in.
The Mets right-hander has been sidelined since May with a right fibula fracture, but he started a rehab assignment on July 18. When he’s been healthy, he’s posted a 2.39 ERA with 45 strikeouts and 18 walks over 52 2/3 innings.
Since joining the Mets, he has a 3.26 ERA across his last 42 appearances, including 40 starts, and his ability to work either in the rotation or in a flexible role would help once the Dodgers’ injured starters begin to return.
Then there’s the bullpen, where the Dodgers have already made progress this season but still have room to add. Tanner Scott’s bounce back has been part of that turnaround, yet injuries to Evan Phillips, Edwin Díaz and Blake Treinen have thinned out the late-inning options.
The bigger concern is the front end, and Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch VI fits that need. He leads all Royals relievers in both bWAR and fWAR, and he’s turned in a 2.13 ERA with a 0.921 WHIP.
His strikeout rate is up slightly from last year at 7.2 per nine innings, but the real key has been keeping the ball on the ground and limiting home runs. Lynch also brings rotation experience, with 56 starts over his first five seasons before moving to the bullpen full-time.
That kind of versatility matters for a Dodgers staff that may need another arm like Eric Lauer, especially if Lauer ends up getting bumped from the rotation once Snell and Glasnow are back. Lynch would give them useful innings at the front of the bullpen and some extra length if the relief group gets stretched.
He won’t turn 30 until Nov. 17, and he is eligible for arbitration this offseason.
In Other News...
Dodgers Expected To Push Deadline Aggression Even Further
The Dodgers have spent years operating like a club that treats the trade deadline as a chance to fine-tune a contender, but rival executives now think this summer could be even more ambitious. According to reporting cited by USA Todays Bob Nightengale, Los Angeles is expected to keep pushing for major additions even with a roster already built to win, with the front office believed to be eyeing help across several spots rather than settling for a single move.
The list of possible needs is broad enough to tell you how high the bar is in Chavez Ravine: rotation help, bullpen depth, a catcher while Will Smith is out, second base and another outfielder all have been mentioned as areas the Dodgers could address. The bigger question is not whether they will be active, but how far they are willing to go in a market where their motivation is tied to one more historic run. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Linked To Deadline Arm As Pitching Need Keeps Growing
The Dodgers are still looking for pitching help as the August 3 trade deadline approaches, and the need has only become more obvious with the way the staff has been stretched. One name being floated around the market is veteran right-hander Clay Holmes, whose availability gives Los Angeles another possible path to add depth without chasing the biggest arm on the board.
Holmes has barely pitched this season because of a fractured right fibula in mid-May, but he has started a rehab assignment and remains a flexible fit for a club that values options. If the Dodgers do get involved, the appeal is not just innings, but the kind of swing role that could matter in both the rotation and the bullpen once October planning starts to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]