For much of the past two weeks, fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers have dreamed about acquiring reigning Cy Young winning starting pitcher Tarik Skubal in a trade with the Detroit Tigers.
With one year remaining on his contract with the Tigers, the team could decide to deal the two-time Cy Young winner rather than letting him walk next season. However, given Skubal’s pedigree, it would take a vast amount of resources for any team to convince the Tigers to part ways with their ace.
More news: Dodgers Informed Tyler Glasnow He Won’t Be Traded This Offseason
One player who was continuously linked to a trade for Skubal was Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who is entering his third year on a five-year, $136.5 million contract with the Dodgers.
Glasnow, a dominant pitcher in his own right, could have been a feasible addition to a massive trade package for Skubal, but all signs are indicating that Glasnow will remain with the Dodgers next season. The 32-year-old saw the plethora of reports involving him, and told MLB Network Radio that Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman assured him he would not be traded this offseason.
More news: Details of Edwin Diaz’s Dodgers Contract Revealed
For Dodgers Nation analyst Doug McKain, Glasnow isn’t merely a piece to throw around in trade discussions, as the 2024 All-Star brings consistency to the starting rotation.
“I think his floor is top 20 pitcher. I think his ceiling is top 7-10 pitcher on his best day. Think about how many teams out there would want that. Think about how many teams would sign up for a top 10 pitcher that you would owe $81.5 million to through the 2028 season,” McKain said after Glasnow confirmed he would be staying in Los Angeles. “I’ve stood firm this whole offseason that if you’re going to trade Tyler Glasnow — because I don’t necessarily believe in un-tradable players unless your name is Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a very select few — but unless you’re getting an equally or better starting pitcher in return ,then the answer is no.”
With one of if not the best starting pitching rotation in baseball with Glasnow, Ohtani, Yamamoto, Blake Snell and a combination of Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki, River Ryan or Gavin Stone, the Dodgers enjoy a the luxury of depth at the game’s most important position. However, as McKain noted, depth can dissipate quickly.
“If you trade Glasnow for an outfielder and you’re hoping one of these other guys can step into that role and then you lose a frontline guy, then all of a sudden, yes you have pitching depth, but you have a bunch of twos or you have a couple threes and a one and a one,” McKain said. “Glasnow is of that one category.”
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Have you downloaded the new Dodgers Nation app yet? Click here for Apple Users and here for Android Users to be a part of the redesigned app to give fans everything they need, all in one place. Don’t miss out on live GameCast with play-by-play, news and analysis, Dodgers Nation podcasts and videos, all the stats you want and more!
One Response
Dodger for life!