The Los Angeles Dodgers faced the New York Yankees in a three-game series in the Bronx coming out of the All-Star break. Two super teams expected to see each other again in the World Series.
Now that the second half of the season is underway, the talk of the town is which of these two teams is going to land Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal?
The Dodgers and Yankees are both heavy favorites, but with pitching injuries plaguing the Dodgers rotation–including superstar Shohei Ohtani–and an unknown timeline on catcher Will Smith, the Dodgers have made it clear on where they stand when it comes to landing Skubal at the trade deadline.
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Dodgers Do Not Plan to Go All In on Tarik Skubal Despite Shohei Ohtani Pitching Injury
Per The Atheltic’s Katie Woo, multiple sources from the Los Angeles Dodgers have confirmed that Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith’s injuries will not impact their trade deadline plans. She then adds that Ohtani’s knee injury leaving him out of the rotation indefinitely until fixed, has not furthered enticement to push for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.
They plan on operating at this trade deadline similar to last year’s by looking to improve on the margins but refraining from big splashes
“Still, according to multiple team sources familiar with the Dodgers’ thinking, neither injury will have much impact on the team’s trade deadline strategy,” Woo wrote. “Despite Smith’s prolonged absence, the Dodgers do not plan to pursue major-league catching depth and will continue to rely on Dalton Rushing for the bulk of the starts. Ohtani’s uncertainty hasn’t provided extra incentive to push for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who will be the top player available this deadline — should the Tigers (who sit just 4 1/2 games out of a playoff spot in the meek American League) decide to make him available..”
Woo explains that similar to last year’s deadline, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers look to retain their top prospects and stay away from big splashes at the deadline.
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Blake Snell’s Return Lines Up Perfectly With the MLB Trade Deadline
The Dodgers’ pitchers have taken a hit on the injury front this season. Blake Snell made one start in May after returning from elbow surgery before hitting the injured list yet again, Tyler Glasnow was supposed to take a short trip to the IL that turned into what could be a three month stint or longer, Edwin Díaz pitched in seven games with his new team before injury, and now Shohei Ohtani is dealing with a knee injured that has him off the rotation until further notice.
While it may seem like a no-brainer for the Dodgers to pursue a pitcher at the trade deadline, stars may align for their rotation ahead of the deadline. Both Snell and Díaz have begun rehab assignments, with Díaz having the option to return on the Dodgers’ current road trip. And Snell is projected to return on August 3, the day of the MLB trade deadline.
With the return of Snell, it adds a bit of cushion to the Dodgers’ rotation and takes the heat off of pressuring Glasnow to return. Glasnow is still a few weeks away from beginning a rehab assignment.
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Will Smith Injury Update
June 11 is when catcher Will Smith unexpectedly hit the IL for an unknown neck injury. His time on the injured list was expected to be short, but best-case scenario is for Smith to return in August.
On Friday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Smith was shut down from baseball activities after his neck did not recover well, but it is not feeling a lot of pain.
Smith is taking a week off from baseball activities after not making much progress in his recovery but thankfully isn’t feeling pain now.
LA is counting on him to return this year 🙏
Dalton Rushing will be taking the bulk of the catching opportunities moving forward.
Dodgers Make Tarik Skubal Trade Announcement Amid Shohei Ohtani Injury