Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes addressed how the Dodgers will handle Kris Bubic, whom they added at the trade deadline.
The Dodgers, following the Tarik Skubal deal, felt like they were done addressing the pitcher position, but instead, they went after another pitcher for additional depth.
They added Bubic, a lefty who has been on the injured list for the majority of the season, while sending out Carlos Duran, a minor leaguer whom the Dodgers signed on a minor league deal.
Bubic has been battling soreness in his throwing elbow, and then he picked up shoulder soreness during his rehab assignment.
Bubic threw his first bullpen as a Dodger on Monday, and the hope from the organization is that he returns at some point this season, ideally as a relief pitcher, but a starting role could be an option if there are enough injuries.
“Biggest thing with Kris is we know what he’s capable of,” Gomes said.
“He’s been an All-Star and able to be a dominant force both out of the pen and as a starter. Our plan right now is to run him out as a reliever and just get him healthy and try to get him back to that version he was prior to this year.”
The rotation is already absolutely crowded to the point where one of their high-priced starters will be used as a reliever in the postseason, but with the Dodgers’ mentality of wanting the 14 best pitchers in the postseason, no matter what role they had in the regular season, Bubic has a chance to cut through.
What does Bubic bring to the Dodgers?
Bubic has the pedigree of being an All-Star, earning the nod last season after putting up a 2.55 ERA. He is still only 28 years old, making him still very young for a veteran pitcher like him.
Notably, Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain sees real upside in the trade.
“This is a really good pickup for the Dodgers. He was an All-Star a couple of years ago, this is a guy that has a ton of upside,” McKain said.
This season, he has thrown 50.1 innings with a 4.11 ERA and has 0.8 fWAR. His fastball sits around 92 MPH, but he has maintained a strong strikeout percentage and does a good job of keeping the ball on the ground, which will be beneficial with the Dodgers’ defense behind him.
