Just as the Los Angeles Dodgers were a strong favorite to acquire Tarik Skubal, there also had been a growing expectation they would trade Alex Call and Eric Lauer before the deadline passed at 3 p.m. PT on Monday.
And while the Dodgers wound up being plenty active in the final hours leading up to the Aug. 3 deadline, that did not include parting with Call or Lauer.
“It’s my understanding they will both be on our roster the rest of the year,” manager Dave Roberts said on SportsNet LA. “I really give our front office a lot of credit, just kind of talking to those guys consistently and getting a grasp on their wishes.
“Both of those guys really wanted to be here.”
Call and Lauer emerged as potential trade chips given they each appeared primed for a role change. In Lauer’s case, the starting rotation that already was counting on the returns of Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani became even more crowded with Skubal’s arrival.
With Call, he started to receive fewer opportunities when Tommy Edman was activated off the injured list in the middle of June, and Kiké Hernández returning last week further made his roster spot redundant.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes declined to specify how much Call and Lauer were discussed in trade talks, offering only that, “Rumors are rumors.”
“We feel great about both of those guys,” Gomes added. “What they have done and what they will do moving forward.”
Eric Lauer’s role changing
When speaking with media last week, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he had already approached Lauer about shifting to a bullpen role as a bulk pitcher. However, that was prior to Emmet Sheehan laboring through another disappointing performance that resulted in the right-hander getting optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The ripple effect is resulting in Lauer getting an opportunity to remain in the Dodgers’ rotation for the time being. He’s scheduled to start in the series finale against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.
Lauer is 5-0 with a 2.96 ERA, 5.14 FIP and 0.99 WHIP in nine games (eight starts) for the Dodgers so far. He has consistently pitched into the sixth inning in his outings and brought needed production and availability.
In deciding to keep Lauer, the Dodgers bucked a trend from the past handful of years. Ross Stripling was traded in 2020, Mitch White in 2022, and Dustin May in 2025, each to acquire Minor Leaguers.
Lauer will become a free agent at the end of this year.
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