Following further assessment after the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers made no “needle-moving” trades but appeared to improve slightly in the margins. With a struggling offense at the moment, the Dodgers’ pitching staff has been getting healthier, which should also give some relief to the bullpen.
The only addition on offense they really made was outfielder Alex Call, who is hitting .269 in 74 games, but doesn’t slug much and has just 14 extra-base hits on the season. Now, in the wake of the deadline, the Dodgers are still in a tight division race with the San Diego Padres and may be in a vulnerable spot.
Do the Dodgers’ Additions Make Them ‘Vulnerable’?
Aside from adding the ex-Washington National Call, the Los Angeles Dodgers also added reliever Brock Stewart and traded away Dustin May. Trading away May likely will show its true colors in a few years when the prospects they got in return for him get some time in the big leagues under their belt, and Stewart should be a good piece for Los Angeles’ bullpen against right-handed hitters.
According to a Bleacher Report piece by Zachary Rymer, which describes each team in one word following the 2025 deadline, the Dodgers are “vulnerable” in his opinion:
“It wasn’t a huge surprise when the Dodgers played it safe at the deadline. Though they haven’t been the runaway train that was promised back in the spring, that may yet become the case if they’re able to get healthy before October. Yet if it wasn’t already too close for comfort for the Dodgers in the NL West, it sure is now after the San Diego Padres loaded up at the deadline. Their 3.0-game deficit to the reigning World Series champs looks well within their power to erase over the next two months.”
The signs of health have been evident for the Dodgers over the past month or so. Blake Snell just made his first start since April against the Tampa Bay Rays, Tyler Glasnow continues to progress in a positive direction, and Roki Sasaki is potentially set for a rehab assignment soon.
Dodgers Season Outlook
The Los Angeles Dodgers, like any MLB team in the playoff picture, want to avoid the Wild Card round if possible. With the San Diego Padres hot on their heels, Los Angeles has to figure things out on offense, and that has nothing to do with their trade deadline acquisitions. Ohtani is slumping, and Mookie Betts is having his worst season as a pro. Max Muncy just rejoined the lineup, which should help, but the reason Rymer considers them “vulnerable” is because they haven’t been playing good baseball lately, and they didn’t add one of the top sluggers at the deadline to fix that.
Because the Padres had one of the best deadlines out of any organization, it puts pressure on the Dodgers to get the pedal to the metal. Trading May was a shocker at the moment, but now that the Dodgers’ rotation is healthy, he likely didn’t have a spot in the rotation anyway. Call provides versatile defense, but again, his offensive prowess isn’t much better than Michael Conforto’s, whose batting average is below the Mendoza line.
Los Angeles Dodgers ‘Vulnerable’ After Lackluster Trade Deadline