Dodgers Rumors: MLB Insider Suggests Wild Justin Verlander Trade for LA

The Dodgers haven’t been the same pitching wise this season as in years past. Both the bullpen and starting rotation have dealt with more injuries than they would like to count and inconsistency has bled into multiple player’s games. The team will be in search of pitching as the trade deadline approaches to upgrade the roster and give them the best chance at possibly winning the World Series this season.

While some common names have been thrown around by many pundits, one MLB insider brought up a name that Dodger fans are certainly familiar with. Insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic mentioned New York Mets starter Justin Verlander as a potential option for the Dodgers. This past offseason, New York beat out LA in signing the veteran pitcher so this is surely an interesting one.

1. The Mets trade Justin Verlander to the Dodgers

“The Dodgers need another starting pitcher if they’re going to overtake the Diamondbacks and Giants and hold off the Padres in the NL West. As long as Justin Verlander (4.50 ERA, 1.212 WHIP in nine starts) pitches better over the next month or so, he should still have significant trade value, especially since he’s under team control through 2024 (with a vesting option for 2025).”

Via The Athletic

Now on the surface, it seems that adding Verlander to this group could make some sense. But when you really dig deeper, the Dodgers really should steer clear of the Mets right-handed.

It has been a major struggle for the former CY Young award winner this season. Now to be fair, Verlander did start out the year on the injured list but since returning, he hasn’t been great. He has posted an ERA of 4.50 in nine games and has looked almost like a shell of himself. His strikeouts are down this season as he only has 44 over 52 innings pitched and it seems like the Mets never really know what to expect from him on the mound.

LA should hang up the phone if New York were to come calling for multiple reasons. The first being that they don’t need a 40-year-old pitcher to take up that much of their salary cap, especially if he isn’t his dominant CY Young award winning self. And secondly, if they were to help New York get off his contract, it could free up money for the Mets to make a run at Shohei Ohtani this winter.

Even with Verlander on the books, New York will make a play at Ohtani because their owner Steve Cohen is loaded with cash but it could make things easier if they could get off the contract of Verlander. Additionally, the Dodgers likely want to prioritize their own salary cap flexibility so they themselves can make the best possible run at Ohtani. LA should let New York live with the decision to sign Verlander and not help them out.

The 40-year-old pitcher signed with New York on a two-year deal, worth $86.7 million that includes a $35 million vesting option for 2025. While the Dodgers could be interested in having him under team control, it doesn’t make sense to deal for the veteran. LA has plenty of options to work with in regards to upgrading their pitching staff and in all honestly they dodged a bullet by not signing him this offseason.

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