The Los Angeles Dodgers are to nobody’s surprise the best team in Major League Baseball, at least in terms of record. They are 61-33 and have already essentially run away with the National League West, as they hold a 14 1/2 game lead.
They remain the favorites to win yet another World Series title, but one issue is plaguing them: their starting rotation. Both Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are on the injured list, so Los Angeles will need to add an arm or two at the trade deadline.
Tarik Skubal is the obvious candidate, but Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report has another idea. In case the Detroit Tigers don’t trade Skubal, Baltimore Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers was floated as an option.
“Rogers went through quite the rough patch from mid-April through the end of May, making seven starts with a 10.01 ERA and a two-week stint on the IL in the middle of that skid,” Miller wrote.
“Temporarily disregard that stretch, though, and instead combine his first three starts, his last six starts and the 18 starts he made last season and Rogers has a 1.81 ERA across those 27 appearances. He could be a real factor for the Dodgers in October, even if both Snell and Glasnow return to stay.”
Los Angeles Dodgers Named Landing Spot for Trevor Rogers
Overall, Rogers has had a bit of a rough season, going 6-7 with a 4.48 ERA in 17 starts, though he was an All-Star in 2021 with the Miami Marlins, so there is upside in his arm.
The proposed mock trade has the Dodgers sending left-hander Jackson Ferris and outfielder Ryan Ward back to Baltimore. Those are the Dodgers’ No. 10 and No. 19 prospects, respectively.
The Dodgers may have to give up two of their top 30 prospects to land Rogers, but him being a rental shouldn’t cost them any more than that.
Rogers isn’t exactly a starter that is going to rack up strikeouts, but when he’s healthy, he can still be a solid starter, and he could be trusted to start a later game of a playoff series or potentially come out of the bullpen in long relief for Los Angeles if they are indeed going to pursue him.
The Orioles are falling out of contention, so trading a rental like Rogers would make sense, and it would be smart for them to bring back some solid prospects in return to set the stage for the future.
Los Angeles Dodgers Looking for Rotation Arms
In all likelihood, Tarik Skubal will be their top target, but there is always a chance that Detroit chooses not to trade him, especially now that they are playing better baseball.
Rogers could be a good fallback option if the Tigers pull the reigning Cy Young winner off the market, and they could at least have reliable veteran arm that they can use in big games and have for some extra depth.
The Dodgers are essentially now just fighting to secure the top seed in the National League with the NL West title so far out of reach for their rivals.
Dodgers Named Landing Spot For Orioles Starter as Rotation Needs Become Clearer