The Los Angeles Dodgers — the two-time reigning champions of Major League Baseball — are known for a lot of things. They have a loaded farm system, approach free agent overtures with wallets that know no bounds, and they employ the best player in the world. Some may say they’re ruining baseball because of all that, but that doesn’t stop it from being true.

What they’re not known for is shedding salary. However, with the 2027 MLB lockout looming, teams are becoming more budget-conscious than ever. That applies even to the Dodgers, who are reportedly mulling a trade of veteran starter Tyler Glasnow this winter.

There’s a bit of logic tied into all of this, as Glasnow is owed $30 million over each of the next two seasons, plus a $21.5 million player option in 2028. As a 32-year-old who has never made more than 22 starts in a single season, that’s a hefty chunk of change to owe to an injury-prone pitcher.

And yet … Glasnow remains elite when healthy, and his postseason track record with the Dodgers simply can’t be ignored.

I don’t think it’s talked about enough that the Dodgers won EVERY single game Tyler Glasnow pitched in this postseason pic.twitter.com/Qk7axOXVNQ

— Nate (@dodgernate) November 28, 2025Tyler Glasnow is too valuable to Dodgers’ playoff plans to be traded

A pitcher’s record no longer holds the same importance it once did (for good reason), but Glasnow pitching in six of the Dodgers’ 13 winning efforts from this past postseason can’t be ignored, even when his overall October record finished at 0-0.

In those six appearances (three starts, three relief outings), Glasnow covered 21 1/3 innings while recording a tidy 1.69 ERA and 2.95 FIP. After missing the Dodgers’ championship romp in 2024, it was refreshing to see the veteran righty dominate when it mattered most this past season.

Los Angeles has so much pitching depth (and so many injury-prone pitchers) that keeping Glasnow as a pillar of a six-man rotation makes a lot of sense moving forward. That setup better suits Shohei Ohtani’s arm, and it should help preserve the health of most of the rotation after injuries completely rattled the pitching staff throughout the 2025 season.

Glasnow would have some value on the trade block after compiling a 3.37 ERA with the Dodgers over the past two seasons, but his hefty salary and myriad injury issues would likely require Andrew Friedman and the front office to settle for a salary dump. That’s not the kind of move a back-to-back champion makes, lockout concerns be damned.

There’s always a method to the madness with this team, and Glasnow finding himself in trade rumors is no mistake. There may be some smoke on this fire, but another postseason legend isn’t walking through the door to replace him if he goes. Hopefully the franchise wises up to that fact before it’s too late.