The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the enviable position with the best record in baseball, star-quality players making their way back from injury and also boast a talented farm system that can be pulled from if the front office choose to be aggressive at the trade deadline.
There has more than a year of speculation connecting the Dodgers to a potential Tarik Skubal trade, but what direction the Detroit Tigers will take again remains a question mark. There also is a split public opinion as to whether or not the Dodgers will aggressively pursue a Skubal trade.
Do the Dodgers need Tarik Skubl?
The Dodgers are currently without Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani in their starting rotation. As a result it’s fueled debate centered around whether the Dodgers should pursue a Skubal trade.
Yes, make the trade
If the Dodgers traded for Skubal, they would be adding one of the best pitchers who looks to be rounding into form after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. At minimum, Skubal’s presence would give the Dodgers an insurance policy for Glasnow, Snell and Ohtani.
Glasnow finally appears to have turned a corner in his longer-than-expected recovery from back spasms that forced him to the injured list in early May. The right-hander is poised to face batters this week for a second time since being out, and that presumably would be followed by the start of a lengthy rehab assignment.
Although the Dodgers anticipate Glasnow returning this season, there is the risk of back trouble resurfacing, or the 32-year-old not having enough time to knock off likely rust.
Meanwhile, Snell is looking to return from his own loose bodies surgery and is lined up to make at least one more rehab start. There isn’t much concern over Snell’s return, but the reality is there always is some unknown whenever a pitcher undergoes surgery.
Snell, like Glasnow, has now been on the injured list multiple years in a row.
Then there’s the situation with Ohtani, which would likely be the biggest driver behind how aggressively or not the Dodgers attempt to trade for Skubal. He threw a bullpen session last Wednesday for the first time since receiving an Orthovisc injection in his left knee, but that was followed by some regression.
That prompted the Dodgers to delay a second bullpen session on Saturday, and Ohtani’s return to the rotation remains unclear.
With Skubal in the fold, the Dodgers theoretically would be able to rely on a starting rotation in October that’s led by the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, last year’s World Series MVP. They then would only need two of Snell, Ohtani and Glasnow to be healthy to fill out their playoff rotation.
Moreover, an ancillary benefit of Skubal joining the Dodgers is making it more viable to trade Eric Lauer in exchange for prospects or perhaps a third catcher.
No, trust the rotation depth
Arguably the biggest impediment to a Skubal trade is his contract status relative to the cost for a potential rental. Not only is Skubal due to become a free agent after the 2026 season, but there’s added uncertainty with the need for a new collective bargaining agreement this winter.
Even if that doesn’t come with MLB implementing a salary cap system, there figures to be added restrictions put in place to curb high-spending teams like the Dodgers. That could complicate, if not preclude them, from re-signing Skubal in free agency.
There is also a reality where each of Glasnow, Ohtani and Snell make it back healthy and are available for the playoffs. That would put a strain on fitting Skubal into the rotation, even if Glasnow showed an ability to pitch out of the bullpen last October.
Plus, the Dodgers also have flexibility with Eric Lauer, Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki. Lauer has been revelation since joining the Dodgers, Wrobleski is in the midst of an All-Star season and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, and Sasaki has pitched well of late.
Wrobleski’s success this year and recent increase in strikeouts bode well for his case to remain in the Dodgers rotation come the postseason should there be an unexpected opening.
Sasaki’s trajectory could lend to that as well.
And even if that isn’t the case, both of the aforementioned pitchers could easily transition to a bullpen role. If Skubal was in the picture as well, the Dodgers may face a scenario where Glasnow, Sasaki and Wrobleski are all pitching as relievers.
The domino effect would include putting a squeeze on the team’s group of traditional relief pitchers, in addition to again asking starters to adjust to a new role.
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