Rumors: Dodgers ‘Aggresive’ In Pursuit Of Yovani Gallardo

UPDATE (July 31, 12:05 p.m. PT): According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Texas Rangers are leaning toward not trading Yovani Gallardo:

at the moment, rangers appear to be planning to hold yovani gallardo. didgers, cubs, jays have been in mix.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 31, 2015

UPDATE (July 31, 7:20 a.m. PT): According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Texas Rangers aren’t completely sold on trading Yovani Gallardo, though the Los Angeles Dodgers remain among the teams interested:

I asked two sources about #Rangers chances of trading Yovani Gallardo today. One said "medium.'' The other said "50/50.''

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 31, 2015

#Dodgers, #Cubs and #Jays still in mix on Gallardo. #Rangers say they're content to keep him if they can't get what they want.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 31, 2015

The Los Angeles Dodgers tried to stock up as much starting pitching depth as they could since Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi took over as president of baseball operations and general manager, respectively.

Even with the depth they were able to accumulate, they have seen their team start 14 different starting pitchers so far this season. At least two more will be added to that total once newly acquired starters Mat Latos and Alex Wood make their Dodger debuts in the coming week. Despite now having more starters than spots in the rotation, the front office duo was still in search for starting pitching.

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Dodgers are among teams with strong interest in a right-hander from the AL West:

Yovani Gallardo, who started Thursday night against the Yankees, is being pursued by at least five teams, with the Cubs, Blue Jays and Dodgers seen as the most aggressive parties to this point.

Gallardo pitched on Thursday, allowing five earned runs in six innings against the New York Yankees. On the year, he’s 7-9 with a 3.39 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 22 starts (127.1 IP). The right-hander is set to become a free agent after the season.

One thing that could hurt their Dodgers is their need for a starting pitcher after their earlier trade. Working from a point of luxury rather than need helps the Dodgers from a point of not overpaying, and hurts them from a point of other teams being more inclined to offer more for Gallardo.

Even if the Dodgers can’t get the former All-Star, they are still in better position than they were before the week started.