Dodgers Exec Andrew Friedman Still Not Ready to Dive into the Trade Market
The Dodgers got bit by the injury bug earlier than usual this year with Gavin Lux blowing out his knee and being lost for the season. Since then, the club has seen just about every bump, bruise, and strain in the book, or at least that’s what it feels like. 11 pitchers alone are currently on the injured list, with 9 of them on the 60-day IL.
The club has survived by diving deep into the depth chart to bring up guys like Gavin Stone and most recently Bobby Miller to put together enough of a starting rotation to make it through the toughest stretch of the season so far. But it’s beginning to feel like the front office may need to start jumping on the phones and searching for help outside of the organization –– even more so with every Noah Syndergaard start.
Andrew Friedman says not quite yet.
The Dodgers’ president of baseball operations spoke with the OC Register this week and told Bill Plunkett that the club is still in assessment mode.
“Potentially,” Friedman said. “Right now it’s early. I think using the first 3, 3½ months to assess your roster and what the needs are helps crystallize how you approach things in July. So things we thought in February or March turn out to be things you don’t need to focus on. But another area pops up. It’s a little bit like a game of whack-a-mole.”
Via OC Register
The trade deadline is still just over two months away and certainly the needs of the club could change by then. But, at the moment, things are a bit dire on the pitching side.
Julio Urias is on the IL with a hamstring issue that one MLB insider says could cost him weeks while the Dodgers and Julio say should only cost him a few more days. Dustin May is out for at least two months but maybe longer after suffering a forearm strain that nearly led to another surgery, according to Friedman.
Beyond Urias and May, the top depth arms heading into the season have also been hurt. Ryan Pepiot has missed the entire season after suffering an oblique injury late in spring training and isn’t close to returning. Michael Grove opened the year in the rotation but a groin strain has sidelined him for the last month. He’s less than a week away from returning.
The Dodgers are one injury away from possible catastrophe and, at the moment, are left relying on rookies Stone and Miller a bit earlier than they planned.
“I would have been surprised if you had said (before the season), ‘Hey, in the middle of May, you’re going to have to call on both.’ I would have been really surprised … It’s a great opportunity for those guys. We think the world of them talent-wise. Was it the ideal time developmentally to bring them up? Probably not. That’s happened a lot of other times where you have to do something a little sooner. Sometimes you’re wrong about that and they take the opportunity and run with it. We’re open to that as well.”
Who Would the Dodgers Even Try to Trade For?
As much as fans may want the team to explore the trade market sooner rather than later, there are no obvious trade partners at the moment. The teams with the best front end of the rotation options are also in the hunt for the playoffs. And, with more teams making the postseason these days, the trade deadline could be a little less active than in years past.
People would love to see Corbin Burnes in Dodger blue, but the Brewers are in first place in the not-so-strong NL Central and just about every other team in the hunt for a playoff berth would be interested in adding the former Cy Young award winner to their rotation. Guys like Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn would be intriguing options if the White Sox are selling, which they 100% should be. Cleveland is currently 6 games under .500 and has some assets that could fetch a nice haul of prospects (Shane Beiber, Emmanuel Clase, Logan Allen), but the club is only 3.5 games out of first place in the AL Central.
What About Internal Options?
The Dodgers are flush with talent at the minor league levels. Any one guy from the Double-A Tulsa starting rotation would likely be an instant upgrade over Noah Syndergaard alone. But, the team is already pushing the limits of its comfort zone with guys like Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller up. And Andrew Friedman really doesn’t like calling players up from AA ball. Still, there are some impressive options down on the farm that the team could consider in an emergency.
Can the Dodgers afford to sign Ohtani? $62.5 million coming off the books after the 2023 season. Trevor Bauer $22.5; Syndergaard $13; JD Martinez $10; Peralta $6.5 [does he have another year], Hudson $6.5, Julio $14 [he will sign for more money somewhere else] = 62.5. Assume Kershaw returns. Some on the roster now will be in line for raises. Ohtani takes the place of Julio and JD Martinez. Some combination of Bobby Miller, Grove, Pepiot, Gavin Stone, take Syndergaard’s place and maybe fills out the #6-8 roles in the rotation (assuming Kershaw returns). Buehler is another possibility for the rotation, call him #9. Of the 6 guys in Tulsa, maybe 1 or 2 of them fill the roles of 10-11. Andre Jackson, 12. So, yes, they probably can afford to sign Ohtani without a massive increase in the salaries for 2024. Pages, DeLuca get a shot at replacing Peralta, Trace Thompson. Lux comes back. Cartaya and Rushing still at least another year away, Barnes has one more year under contract.