The Los Angeles Dodgers' roster, often the envy of the industry, is currently a mess -- lined with stars but muddled by underperformance and, most of all, ravaged by injury.
When the All-Star break arrived this week, the Dodgers had 15 players on their injured list, more than any other team in the major leagues. Their once-decorated starting rotation had been stripped down to the studs, composed of three rookies and little else. Their lineup, considered one of the sport's deepest when the season began, is now strikingly top-heavy. There is uncertainty at shortstop and throughout the outfield, but also concern about who will absorb innings and who might hold leads -- more problems than one might expect for a team that spent more than $1 billion in one offseason.
And yet, in spite of it all, the Dodgers began the second half of their season in an enviable position: 15 games over .500 and seven games up in the National League West, with a plus-88 run-differential and reasonable hope, considering who's on the mend, that their best baseball might be ahead of them.
The trade deadline is 10 days away, and no team possesses a wider spectrum of potential outcomes. The Dodgers have the prospect capital to do practically anything and, in some ways, the justification to do nothing. They have an array of holes that need filling, but in the words of a veteran scout who has seen a lot of them this season, "All the answers to their problems are on their injured list."
A bevy of stars making up the Dodgers' IL is expected back at some point within the next six weeks, but most of their statuses won't be resolved until after the trade deadline. And so the Dodgers must come up with answers to questions before obtaining all of the information. Their strategy: To chase what little high-impact talent might be available this month, in what is expected to be a deadline light on stars.
Below is a look at how the Dodgers will prioritize their search, based on conversations with multiple people familiar with their thinking.
1. Starting pitching
The same Dodgers team that signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto, traded for Tyler Glasnow and brought back Clayton Kershaw is expected to prioritize a front-of-the-rotation starter this month. They have little choice.
Glasnow is expected to return from a brief IL stint Wednesday, but he's also less than 25 innings shy of his career high -- 133⅓, set last year -- and nobody can truly predict how his stuff will hold up down the stretch. Yamamoto has been out since mid-June with what has been diagnosed as triceps tightness and isn't expected back until early September. Then there's Walker Buehler, who could return before the end of July but posted a 5.84 ERA in the first eight starts of his return from a second Tommy John surgery. And Bobby Miller, who allowed 19 runs in 17⅓ innings since coming back from shoulder inflammation, is now in the minor leagues.
There's reason to be optimistic -- Kershaw, who is expected to return from shoulder surgery before the end of July, has proved he can dominate with diminished stuff; Glasnow hasn't shown signs of fatigue; Buehler's velocity is intact; and the Dodgers have been encouraged by Yamamoto's progress. Still, the Dodgers' rotation heading into the All-Star break consisted of 25-year-old Gavin Stone, who has been excellent; 35-year-old James Paxton, who has been crucial; and Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski, two unheralded prospects who weren't expected to be up this year. And so the Dodgers will be aggressive in their pursuit of front-line starting pitching.
Jack Flaherty, Erick Fedde, Zach Eflin and Yusei Kikuchi should all be available, but whether they clear the Dodgers' bar remains to be seen. Tarik Skubal, the favorite for the American League Cy Young Award, would be ideal, but it seems unlikely the Detroit Tigers will move him with 2½ years of control remaining, sources familiar with their thinking have said.
Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet is considered to be at the top of the Dodgers' list, regardless of whether he's a starter or a reliever the rest of the way (Crochet, a converted starter, has already topped 100 innings after throwing no more than 65 in a season dating to his days at Tennessee). He could be, at the very least, a key multi-inning member of the Dodgers' bullpen -- but the White Sox will ask for a return based on his value as a starter nonetheless.
2. The outfield
The Dodgers have one lock in their outfield: Teoscar Hernández, the Home Run Derby champion who can play either corner spot and has flourished in his first year in L.A.
The rest of the group consists of: Jason Heyward, who's three weeks away from his 35th birthday; Andy Pages, who has provided a boost but strikes out nearly five times as often as he walks; James Outman, who has struggled on the heels of a standout rookie season; Chris Taylor, who needed a hot stretch just to get his batting average to .156 at the All-Star break; and Miguel Vargas, a 24-year-old who has hit much better than last year but is still acclimating to a new position since moving from the infield.
The Dodgers have depth here, but they don't want to leave anything to chance in 2024. Not after spending as much as they did this offseason. Not after getting knocked out of the division series the past two Octobers. Adding another everyday outfielder -- one who can comfortably slot into the No. 7 spot of their lineup once Mookie Betts and Max Muncy return and can provide protection in case Muncy continues to be slowed by his oblique strain -- would be ideal.
Among those expected to be available, Randy Arozarena and Luis Robert Jr. make the most sense.
3. Shortstop
What Betts has done this year -- enter as a six-time Gold Glover in right field, transition to second base in spring training, and then, at a moment's notice, switch to shortstop, perhaps the hardest position on the field and one he hadn't played since high school -- has been nothing short of spectacular. That he has somehow handled it adequately speaks to his singular aptitude and athleticism.
But also, it's not ideal.
Betts has committed nine errors in 61 starts at shortstop, eight of which have resulted from throws. His range has been plus and his fielding overall has been impressive, but he has struggled at times with the mechanics of how to position his feet to make accurate throws from an assortment of angles. It's an area the Dodgers believe he will continue to improve upon with more reps at the position.
Question is: Will Betts continue to be their shortstop when he returns from his fractured left hand around the middle of August?
The Dodgers would love to find a high-end shortstop who can take down the position full time, prompting Betts to move back to second base. But that player probably won't be out there. The NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers don't figure to trade Willy Adames, who was perceived to be available in spring training. The ask in return for Bo Bichette, who's having a down year offensively and is traditionally a below-average defender, would be quite high -- if the Toronto Blue Jays even decide to make him available. And so the Dodgers might have to stick with the status quo here -- one Miguel Rojas has actually made quite tolerable.
The Dodgers acquired Rojas to be a backup infielder two offseasons ago. At 35, he remains an excellent defender. This year, though, his offense has also come alive, his slash line sitting at .284/.330/.426 at the All-Star break. There are concerns about how he'll hold up in an everyday role, but there's a very real possibility the Dodgers stick with their middle-infield options -- Betts, Rojas and Gavin Lux, perhaps Taylor and Enrique Hernández -- for the rest of the season, with Betts playing second base in October if the matchup is favorable for Rojas.
4. Relief pitching
The Dodgers' bullpen performed like one of the game's best units in May but has been otherwise mediocre, ranking 12th in ERA (3.77), 12th in WHIP (1.23) and 17th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.56) from the start of June to the All-Star break.
Joe Kelly was activated off the IL on Friday, joining Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen among those tasked with holding close leads. Before the end of the month, Brusdar Graterol, out since dealing with a balky shoulder before spring training, could join that group. At some point before the end of August, Ryan Brasier, dominant down the stretch last season, is expected to be added back into the mix. This seems to be the area of least concern at the moment, but that doesn't mean it is without flaws.
Crochet would provide a major boost to this group, assuming he isn't starting games in September and October. And, as one rival executive pointed out, don't rule out the Dodgers making a run at Mason Miller, the Oakland Athletics' lights-out closer, if they don't adequately address the first three items on this list.
"They can do anything," he said.