The MLB trade deadline is a week away, and a Los Angeles Dodgers insider thinks the Boys in Blue will continue a recent trend and part ways with a starting pitcher in the next few days.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic said “for the fourth deadline in a row,” he predicts the Dodgers will “wind up trading another starting pitcher off their big-league roster.”
Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman speaks in a press conference before game one against the New York Yankees in the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.
“It was Noah Syndergaard in 2023, James Paxton in 2024 and Dustin May in 2025,” he said. “Eric Lauer could make some sense — so long as the Dodgers are still optimistic their rotation could get back to full strength eventually.”
Starting pitching remains a question
As Ardaya hinted, there remains quite a bit that’s unknown about the Dodgers’ starting pitching this year.
Of the presumed four playoff starters — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell — three of them have missed starts due to injury this season.
Ohtani’s left knee hasn’t prevented him from hitting, but it has caused him to miss the past couple of starts, and manager Dave Roberts has made clear they value him more as a hitter than a pitcher.
Snell is close to making his big-league return, but Glasnow’s road to recovery has been much more uneven.
The hot trade would obviously be trading for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, but the Tigers may not want to part with him.
In addition, the Dodgers still have Justin Wrobleski, himself an All-Star who’s performed admirably as a starting pitcher with an 11-2 record and 2.62 ERA this season.
Jul 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Eric Lauer (33) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
With the neck injury to Will Smith dragging on, it’s possible the Dodgers might instead trade for another catcher, trying to identify a team in need of another starting pitcher in Lauer.
A lot depends on the injury statuses of Glasnow, Snell and Ohtani, but with a three-peat on the line, it would be understandable for the Dodgers to perhaps make multiple moves to shore up the team before the playoffs.
Do you think the Dodgers will trade Eric Lauer?
LA Baseball Report
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