It’s safe to say that the 2025 Major League Baseball season has not gone as planned for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The defending World Series champions were expected to be even better this season after an offseason spending spree that included, among others, Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates. It didn’t take long, however, for the first sign of trouble to emerge, as Snell landed on the injured list after just two starts with a shoulder injury and hasn’t pitched since. Sasaki and 2024 All-Star Tyler Glansow would soon join him, resulting in a decimated starting rotation that has had to turn to the likes of Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski, and Ben Casparius just to survive. The bullpen has had similar issues, whether it be injuries to stalwarts like Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips and Michael Kopech or the struggles of the recently signed Scott. Even the offense, which leads the Major Leagues in runs scored, has had to deal with the rapid decline of Mookie Betts and IL stints from Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy.
It speaks to the depth of the Dodgers' roster, however, that the team still remains on track for yet another National League West division title, sitting 4.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres with a 60-43 record. Yet simply getting to the playoffs isn’t good enough for a team like the Dodgers, and this season has exposed potential shortcomings that could come back to bite them in October. In particular, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes that upgrading the bullpen and replacing Michael Conforto in left field should be the club’s top priority at this deadline.
“What (the Dodgers) ought to have is the greatest 'closer by committee" situation ever assembled. What they actually have is the seventh-worst option in the majors and a big unknown at closer now that saves leader Tanner Scott—who wasn't faring well in the first place—is on the IL with elbow inflammation,” Miller wrote. “In addition to addressing those run-prevention shortcomings in the latter innings, let's reiterate for about the 1,000th time this season that Michael Conforto isn't the answer in left field.”
Though the trade market offers many potential solutions at both positions, Miller believes the Dodgers fill both needs in a trade with the Miami Marlins for Kyle Stowers and Anthony Bender. The 27-year-old Stowers has been among the biggest breakout hitters in baseball this season, earning his first All-Star appearance with 22 home runs and posting a 156 OPS+. Bender, meanwhile, has been the club’s latest breakout reliever with a 1.91 ERA through 43 appearances, although his mediocre 7.0 K/9 points to him being more of a middle reliever than a late-inning one.
While the Marlins have indicated they want to build around Stowers and figure to have many suitors for Bender, the Dodgers have the farm system firepower to get the deal done, and a package headlined by any combination of their six top-100 prospects could entice the Marlins to sell high on both players.
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