The Los Angeles Dodgers have been dealing with ongoing pitching struggles since spring training, as the grocery list of injured pitchers hasn’t been shrinking as fast as fans would hope.
Although a major goal of this past offseason was to retool the pitching roster and create more depth through acquisitions, the constant injuries have proved difficult for L.A. For these reasons and more, it may come as a shock that the president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, said that his team doesn’t want to trade for a pitcher ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
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“I’m still optimistic,” Friedman said. “It requires guys coming back on or close to the timelines that we have penciled out.
“We have shown that, if we’re not in position to do that, we’ll be aggressive to add. But our strong desire is not to.”
The starting rotation and the bullpen alike have been dealt similar blows in terms of longer-term injuries, but expressing a ‘strong desire’ not to acquire more talent initially sounds shocking, but perhaps it is more calculated than what is on the surface.
Pitchers are slowly returning from their respective ailments, but there are still no guarantees with potential setbacks and unclear timelines for many.
Someone like Blake Snell, who was given a five-year, $182 million deal this offseason to bring his two Cy Young awards and southpaw talents to the Dodgers, has only mustered two starts. He is expected to throw a second bullpen this week, but has been out since the beginning of April with shoulder inflammation.
Tyler Glasnow is a similar case as he is known to have had a confusing recent injury history, but is looking to start in a rehab assignment. He has been out with shoulder inflammation of his own since the end of April.
If the right deal presents itself and the Dodgers don’t give up too many assets, a bridge pitcher while L.A. waits for some of their injured men to return makes sense, but if not, the waiting game will continue for the Dodgers.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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10 Responses
For several years pitcher after pitcher goes on the injured list. Something is very wrong in Dodger town. My opinion Roberts is to blame year after year he loses great pitchers he must be doing something wrong.
Roberts has certainly earned his fair share of derision, but seriously, pitching injuries are not on that list. Why not toss in Gavin Lux’s knee blowout running from second to third base a few seasons ago? Something is certainly wrong with all of the pitching injuries, but jumping on the hate for Roberts is just silly.
I still maintain that the entire Dodger organization does not know how to nurture pitchers. Now it’s Sasaki and Gonsolin (again). But, the two main problems at present is what to do with Conforto and Kirby YIKES. How many runs has Conforto cost the team this season? It’s not the same as it was waiting for Pages to emerge as he has. And YIKES must be getting a bonus for every home run he allows. However, the Bums are still in first place but ……… Conforto?
I have been so confused why Conforto is even playing. His average is hovering around .165 and he is not improving. I think he gets paid 17 million a season. That is just ridiculous. Have the Dodgers not heard of the Mendoza Line? Yet you have Ryan Ward in AAA batting .302 with 18 home runs. It is time to give Ward a shot or for sure trade him at the deadline. He is one the best player with the Comets but Friedman and Roberts refuse to give him some MLB playing time. Just think how many times Conforto has failed to produce with only 13 RBI’s and 68 strike outs. He strikes out 1/3 of the time. Dodger management please do not let Ryan Ward rot in the minors.
I would like to see Ward get a look. He can’t do any worse than Conforto and at least we would know what we’ve got. It may even increase his trade value.
Besides the high starter ERA and the lack of rotation innings, the endless parade of opposition home runs is a serious red flag. Is it so many pitchers tossing cookies or missing their spots because of they’re “tentative?” Also, a bridge pitcher is not necessarily a bad thing. Without Flaherty last year, the Dodgers do not make the World Series.
Flaherty is a great point. I wonder what would happen if a desperate team would make a similar offer for some lower level prospects, knowing the Dodgers aren’t exactly seeking out another pitcher
We NEED Alcantara. He’s looked a whole lot better his last few starts.
Honestly a 2.74 ERA in his last four starts might be a sign he’s settling back in! The price to get him can’t be too high because it would still be risky
You got to admit, he’s looked a whole lot better.