Addressing Dodgers’ clearest Trade Deadline need
This story was excerpted from Juan Toribio’s Dodgers Beat publication. To learn the total publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it frequently in your inbox.
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts sat within the house dugout at Dodger Stadium and fielded a handful of questions relating to the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline. Every single one in all them was concerning the Dodgers’ lack of beginning pitching this season.
It’s arguably the biggest — and most evident — gap this group has had in fairly a while. Don’t consider it? Just ask Roberts.
“Given the experience and health of our starters,” Roberts mentioned, “this is probably as forefront of mind — just the bucket of pitching in general — as we’ve been in my tenure here.”
Every starter within the Dodgers’ Opening Day rotation has landed on the injured record a minimum of as soon as this season. Some of their depth choices have additionally gotten harm or haven’t panned out.
Julio Urías could have one other likelihood to point out progress on Tuesday, one thing the Dodgers desperately want down the stretch. Noah Syndergaard was at Dodger Stadium on Monday, however that has been a failed experiment since he landed on the IL in June, and it’s most unlikely that he pitches once more for Los Angeles this season.
But maybe no person is extra vital than Clayton Kershaw, who has now been sidelined for almost a month with a left shoulder harm. Since Kershaw went down, the Dodgers’ starters have a mixed 6.12 ERA. Given the delicacy of a shoulder harm, paired with the membership’s secrecy on the whole lot that surrounds Kershaw and his well being, it’s unclear after we’ll see him again on the mound.
So how can the Dodgers repair this downside? President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman should weigh all of the choices in a market that doesn’t have loads of sellers, however a ton of groups in search of starting-pitching assist. Getting mentioned assist, whether or not it’s Lucas Giolito, Jordan Montgomery or Jack Flaherty, will come at some value.
Of course, making aggressive strikes is one thing Friedman hasn’t shied away from up to now. He did swing a blockbuster commerce for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner simply two Deadlines in the past. When the Dodgers wanted a big-time shortstop, he landed Manny Machado.
Now it’s time for him to pounce on starting-pitching depth, or it might catch up in the long term.
“I’d be surprised,” Roberts mentioned when requested if his rotation will look the identical following the Deadline.
