The Los Angeles Dodgers have continued their success with developing discarded veteran arms who have struggled elsewhere.
The Dodgers, in the Andrew Friedman era, are elite at operating on the margins, improving their depth to cover themselves from any kind of injury.
Following injuries to Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, LA needed a starting pitcher to hold them over, and on the waiver wire was lefty Eric Lauer, who had lackluster stuff and horrible numbers to start the season with the Toronto Blue Jays.
He did not have impressive velocity or the tools the Dodgers tend to covet; rather, Lauer was more akin to Tyler Anderson, who hits his marks but is prone to giving up a ton of contact.
However, Lauer has been stellar with the Dodgers. He has a 3.12 ERA in 40.1 innings — a marked improvement from his 6.69 ERA over 36.1 innings.
He has fewer strikeouts per nine innings than he did during his time in Toronto, but his WHIP is down drastically.
His production is not a total surprise, since he was solid for the Blue Jays in 2025 and had a few good years in 2021 and 2022 with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Considering he is 31, there was concern that his best was beyond him, but his career has undergone a total resurgence.
What is Eric Lauer’s future with the Dodgers?
Lauer is doing so well that the Dodgers may need to make room for him in the bullpen once the staff is fully healthy, or, if everyone is on track to return, they could end up trading him, per The Athletic’s Katie Woo.
“Still, the Dodgers could look to improve on the margins as long as it doesn’t cost them a piece of their promising future core. That’s where Lauer comes in. He’s been serviceable as the Dodgers’ sixth starter (and given how critical that is to the health of Yamamoto and Ohtani, he’s essentially saved their rotation),” Woo wrote in the story.
“Lauer is also a free agent at the end of the season, and contenders always covet starting pitching at the deadline.
“The depth of the Dodgers’ starting pitching is rare. They could look to capitalize on the market and trade Lauer to bulk up the fringe of their 40-man or upper minor-league system.”
A return for Eric Lauer will not be earth-shattering, but it would give the team some improvements to the prospect pool or possibly help facilitate a move down the line.
