For what feels like the 30th year in a row, the Los Angeles Dodgers are short on starting pitching heading into the summer.
After collecting all the starting pitching talent they could over the winter, it's shocking to see the Dodgers in such a vulnerable position. But that's the unfortunate truth of modern baseball--pitchers are fragile, and they seem to be even more fragile when sporting a Dodgers uniform.
Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, and Tony Gonsolin have all hit the injured list since the season began. Meanwhile Shohei Ohtani still isn't back, and several other starters are expected to miss the entire season.
Fortunately, the trade deadline should allow the Dodgers the opportunity they need to revamp the rotation. And though the odds might not be in their favor, there's a chance they could steal lefty ace Framber Valdez from the Houston Astros.
They wouldn't likely be alone in the bidding war, though. Just Baseball's Zach Lutz projected recently that the battle for Valdez could come down to the Dodgers and their bitter National League West rivals, the San Diego Padres.
"As for Valdez, if Houston does sell, the Dodgers and Padres could be front-runners. Both are in contention and could use a durable left-handed starter. The Padres could use someone to complement Michael King and help offset Dylan Cease’s inconsistency," Lutz wrote.
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"The Dodgers’ pitching injuries have been well-documented, and question marks in the current rotation behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto could inspire a front office motivated to repeat as champions."
LA currently leads San Diego by a single game in the standings. They took down the Padres in a winner-take-all Game 5 in the NLDS last season. Whatever they can do to maintain their slim advantage over their bitter foes, they should.
Unfortunately, the Astros have built a 2 1/2-game lead of their own in the American League West, so the Dodgers probably need Houston to go in the tank for a few weeks if they want the two-time All-Star.
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