Cody Snavely
The August first trade deadline is fast approaching, and despite being in first place in the NL West, the Dodgers have a few significant holes that need to be addressed. Perhaps the most enormous hole to fill is the lack of starting pitching. However, I do not expect the Dodgers to go all in on, say, one Shohei Ohtani but will think outside the box to fill the need without depleting the farm in a bidding war.
Jordan Montgomery
Kicking off our list is Cardinals lefty Jordan Montgomery. The Cardinals, who are in contention with the Mets and Padres for the most disappointing 2023 season, have already announced that they would be selling off players at the deadline aiming to retool for 2024. Montgomery, who was traded from the Yankees to St. Louis last season, has had a pleasant tenure for the Red Birds, and with him being a free agent at season’s end, the cost would be extremely low for teams looking for his services.
The Dodgers, who need starters, would be inclined to look for rentals rather than breaking the bank on a starter with multiple years of service left. Montgomery, who has a 3.23 ERA, an ERA+ of 133, and 100.3 innings pitched this year, would slot nicely in the Dodgers rotation and be a great innings eater.
James Paxton
The Boston Red Sox are not a terrible team; they happen to play in the most brutal division in baseball in 2023, with every team one through five over .500 at this point in the season. However, the Red Sox will undoubtedly be inclined to trade away players as we get closer to the deadline. Paxton has missed a large part of the first half with a Hamstring issue but has looked very good since his return, posting a 3.51 ERA and a WHIP at 1.034 in 59 innings pitched this year.
The Dodgers should be interested because it is a low-risk, high-reward, bargain deal Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers prefer to make. Paxton is also technically not a rental, as he does have a club option that the team would reject or accept depending on if they see a role for him next year. However, similar to the last, this deal would provide the Dodgers with much-needed help in their rotation’s back end.
Patrick Corbin
In 2023, the Washington Nationals have hardly any assets to sell off anymore after trading away Juan Soto last year and Trea Turner and Max Scherzer the year prior. However, Patrick Corbin is one name to watch that may make your eyes roll. The Nationals were rumored last year to be trying to offload Corbin and his horrible contract, and many teams, including the Dodgers, were interested if it would have lowered the asking price of one Juan Soto. However, as we all know, that did not happen, but the Nationals would still likely be looking to ship away Corbin to clear a spot for next year.
This type of deal makes sense for LA because they could take on most of his salary and give up little prospect capital in return, and he is a better option than Noah Syndergaard for the Dodgers. Corbin has over 100 innings pitched this year with an ERA just under five and would slot nicely in the back end of the rotation and possibly move to the bullpen come October.
Lucas Giolito
Perhaps the best rental option for this year’s deadline is White Sox starter Lucas Giolito. The Dodgers have already heavily been linked to Gioliti and White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, so I am mentioning it here. The downside of this potential deal is the bidding war that will surely follow for Giolito’s services. The Dodgers will not get in a bidding war with other clubs unless it’s a player they truly want.
Giolito currently has over 112 innings pitched in 2023 with an ERA of 3.45 and 117 strikeouts. A trade for Lucas Giolito makes too much sense, as the Dodgers are desperate for the top-of-the-line starting pitching to pair with Julio Urias and Clayton Kershaw.
Conclusion
The Dodgers will be aggressive for starting pitching at this year’s deadline; however, so will all contenders, which is why some of these names may disappoint you. The Dodgers do not need to make the big splash and be claimed as “winners” of the trade deadline. They need to get inning eaters that can help preserve older starters such as Kershaw and younger starters such as Bobby Miller, so they remain fresh for October.
