The Dodgers are expected to be active at the trade deadline, and pitching remains the obvious area to watch. Tarik Skubal has been the name most closely tied to Los Angeles, but if Detroit stays in the postseason mix or the price gets too steep, Andrew Friedman and the front office could look elsewhere.
One idea floated by Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report would send Baltimore left-hander Trevor Rogers to the Dodgers in a deal labeled “realistic.” The proposed return: left-hander Jackson Ferris and outfielder/first baseman Ryan Ward.
“Realistic Trade: Los Angeles Dodgers acquire LHP Trevor Rogers from Baltimore Orioles for LHP Jackson Ferris and OF/1B Ryan Ward,” Miller proposes.
On paper, adding a starter makes sense for a Dodgers club that has dealt with rotation injuries before. But the fit gets murkier once the names are attached to the package.
Ferris is one of the more intriguing arms in the Dodgers’ system. The 22-year-old lefty has turned heads in the minors, even if this season has been uneven with a 6.96 ERA in 14 starts. Still, his 3.86 ERA in 2025 and 3.20 ERA in 2024 show why there’s real belief in his upside.
Ward brings a different kind of value. At 28, he’s already shown he can help at the big-league level, and he’s posted a .738 OPS in 20 games and 55 at-bats for the Dodgers this season.
He also put up a .937 OPS in the minors last year and owns a .772 OPS this season. Even so, he’s the more movable piece because of his age.
The issue is Rogers himself. He’s sitting on a 4.48 ERA this season, and that makes the cost feel heavy for a rental.
Yes, he’s been excellent since the start of June, going 4-1 with a 1.73 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 41.2 innings over seven starts. But the larger body of work still points to inconsistency.
That’s why moving Ferris and Ward for Rogers would be a hard sell. Those are two assets the Dodgers could use for longer-term help, or simply bring up themselves. Rogers may help, but probably not enough to justify that kind of price.
If Los Angeles is going to pay that much, Skubal is the bigger swing. If not, the Dodgers may be better off standing pat than paying a premium for a pitcher like Rogers.
In Other News...
Blake Snell Just Gave Dodgers Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Blake Snells recovery has moved into a more encouraging phase for the Dodgers, with the left-hander saying he feels the best he has in two years after elbow surgery and has no pain in his arm. Snell has already been facing live hitters as he works his way back from the procedure, and the next step in his return should be a rehab assignment before he tries to rejoin the starting rotation.
For a team that has had to manage plenty of pitching uncertainty, any sign that Snell is trending toward a mid-August return matters. His surgery used a NanoNeedle procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow, and while the final stretch of the comeback still has to play out, the early signs are at least giving Dodgers fans a reason to think the rotation could get a meaningful boost soon. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Still Have One Lineup Problem That Could Haunt October
The Dodgers have spent much of the season trying to solve a lineup question that sits just behind Shohei Ohtani, where production has been uneven enough to keep drawing manager Dave Roberts back to the topic. The No. 2 spot is supposed to be a bridge between Ohtani and the rest of the order, but the team has rotated several accomplished hitters through it without finding much consistency, leaving a small but persistent hole in a lineup built to overwhelm opponents.
Roberts has acknowledged there may be a mental side to the job, with hitters feeling the weight of batting directly behind Ohtani, though he stopped short of saying he knows that for certain. The Dodgers are still weighing options for later in the season, including a possible look at Will Smith when he returns from injury, and the answer could matter more in October than it has in the regular season if this one spot continues to lag. [Read more 🡒]