The injury bug has once again bit the Los Angeles Dodgers over the past few weeks losing three more key players to the IL.
While they boast a 49-31 record through the first half of the season to lead the NL West, the Blue Crew recently lost their MVP finalist Mookie Betts to a fractured left hand, starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a right rotator cuff strain, and starter Walker Buehler to a hip injury after a rough start in Colorado in which he also took a line drive off his lower back.
The pitching depth has taken a hit all the last few years with guys like Tony Gonsolin, Emmet Sheehan, Dustin May, and Clayton Kershaw all recovering from their respective surgeries, and that’s just the starters.
Bobby Miller also missed the last two months recovering from a shoulder injury and has only recently been activated. Kershaw was expected back soon as he was out on rehab assignments testing out his surgically repaired left shoulder, but has been shut down due to lingering soreness, delaying his return to the Dodgers’ rotation.
Given the sudden uncertainty of the rotation beyond ace Tyler Glasnow, a resurgent Gavin Stone, and the solid James Paxton, the Dodgers’ front office might shift their focus from adding a bat to adding a healthy, established arm in the rotation.
As of now with the trade deadline five weeks away, the market for starting pitching is less than impressive with no real ace available, but many guys who could contribute to a rotation as a number three or four.
While many in Dodger Nation might be on Bo Bichette Watch to give them an All-Star shortstop for years to come, they should also be looking at Toronto Blue Jays lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi, who’s in the final year of his contract and could be available at the deadline with the Jays likely looking to sell.
Kikuchi’s numbers haven’t exactly been impressive this year with a 4-7 record, 4.00 ERA, and a 1.33 WHIP, but hasn’t had good run support this year by a shaky Toronto offense. Both he and Bichette could use a change of scenery, and the Dodgers have the assets to negotiate a blockbuster deal and acquire both by the deadline.
Kikuchi would shore up the rotation and provide some insurance in case Kershaw isn’t able to return, and Buehler doesn’t regain his effectiveness after missing the past two years.
Another name that could be on the move is New York Mets starter Luis Severino, who’s also on an expiring deal and has had a great bounce back season. Severino has a 5-2 record with a 3.29 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. If the Mets end up being sellers at the deadline, this would be the one guy they would get numerous calls about, and the Dodgers could be one of them.
Severino has pitched in some big games in his career going back to his years with the New York Yankees and has shown no fear of pitching in a big market or on a big stage.
Let’s not forget about the Dodgers’ old pal Tyler Anderson, who is also having a tremendous bounce back season with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He has a 2.48 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP, and his 6-7 record is more an indictment of poor run support by a struggling and injured Halos squad.
Anderson is under contract until the 2025 season, so the asking price might be a little higher, but the Dodgers know how to utilize him as he had an All-Star season with them in 2022. The question is would the Angels want to make a trade with their SoCal rival across the 5 freeway.
The Dodgers’ front office are going to exhaust all internal options and see who improves and gets healthy before they start working the phones in July. We could see them add a bat and an arm by the deadline, but given their injury issues with their pitching staff, adding a starter might need to be the bigger priority.
