October isn’t won in July, but it can be lost there. For a Los Angeles Dodgers team cruising toward a 14th straight playoff berth, this stretch of the calendar matters more than the standings let on.
Let’s face it. The Dodgers are absolutely cruising right now. As of this writing they own the best record in baseball at 67-38, and they’re sitting on a comfortable double-digit lead in the NL West. These aren’t desperation moves. They’re just some luxury upgrades a team this good can afford to make before the August 3 deadline.
If you think you’ve seen this type of article before, that’s because you have. This exact piece was my first at LWOS, and I’ve run it back every year since. This year, though, it’s not three positions. It’s two. I looked. I really did. I couldn’t find a third glaring need on a roster this deep, and that says everything about where the Dodgers are right now.
Dodgers Needs at the Deadline
Starting Pitcher
For the third year running, starting pitcher makes the list. The rotation has weathered injuries to Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and others all year, and it’s still held together. But every contender wants an ace, and Tarik Skubal’s name isn’t going away.
The Dodgers have reportedly been connected to Skubal all deadline season, with some reporting suggesting the front office is ready to get aggressive if Detroit makes him available. Remember, this would be purely a rental. Skubal hits free agency this winter. Would the Dodgers pay the prospect price for a two-month rental when they already have a top-five ERA? That’s the real question.
Another name that could fit is Foster Griffin. Through 20 starts, he’s running a 2.68 ERA out of Washington, and it’s one of the best stories in baseball this season. He spent three years rebuilding his career in Japan’s NPB after Kansas City moved on from him, and now he’s an All-Star at 31. So why would the Nationals even entertain moving him? He’s on a one-year, $5.5 million deal, he’s a pure rental himself, and his numbers suggest some regression is coming.
The Nats have reportedly been scouted by the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies, and rival executives think a trade is close to inevitable, but Washington’s front office is still weighing whether to sell, extend, or just ride it out with a surprise Wild Card push of their own. If Griffin’s actually on the block, he’s one of the best rental arms left on the market. If he’s not, the Dodgers move on to whoever else is.
Catcher
Will Smith went on the 60-day IL back in early June, and I hate to say it, but the timeline keeps sliding. What started as neck stiffness turned into an inflamed disc, and while the team has floated a mid-August return, Smith has missed every benchmark set for him so far.
The Dodgers need a short-term rental at catcher right now. Dalton Rushing has been okay filling in offensively, but let’s just speak the truth. The players don’t like him. It’s reportedly a position both the New York Yankees and Rays are also hunting on a thin market. The two most sensible expiring-contract options are Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins and Tyler Stephenson of the Cincinnati Reds.
Jeffers would be the bigger splash. He’s putting together a monster year at the plate and would give the Dodgers a legitimate right-handed bat behind the plate, not just a name-only platoon partner. Stephenson could work too, but he’s been closer to a league-average bat this season. Luis Torrens of the New York Mets gets mentioned in these conversations, but he’s actually under club control for two more seasons, and the Mets don’t want to trade him.
This is close to a must-fix. Punting on it now and hoping Rushing can just fix everything between now and a World Series run is not the right decision.
The Dodgers don’t need to do anything at this deadline. That’s the luxury of being this good. But if Andrew Friedman wants to make sure this team is bulletproof come October, these are the two spots to look.
