Tyler Glasnow’s name may have s urfaced in trade conversations this winter. Still, the Dodgers’ right-hander said that the Dodgers reached out to him to assure him he wasn't going anywhere.
That has more to do with how Los Angeles is thinking about its pitching staff heading into another title defense than a possible blockbuster.
Glasnow recently said on MLB Network Radio that Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told him directly he is not being traded. That clarity matters, because on paper Glasnow is the kind of pitcher rival teams ask about. He does not have a no-trade clause, his contract is manageable by market standards, and his performance has been consistently elite when healthy.
But for the Dodgers, keeping Glasnow is less about ignoring trade value and more about managing risk.
Los Angeles is coming off back-to-back World Series runs, a workload that quietly takes a toll on pitching staffs. October innings add up quickly, and the Dodgers’ rotation, while deep, includes multiple arms with injury histories. In that context, known quantity starters matter more than surplus theory suggests.
Glasnow enters his age-32 season with a track record that stabilizes the staff. Across 40 regular-season starts with the Dodgers, he has posted a 3.37 ERA and 3.24 FIP while striking out nearly 31 percent of opposing hitters. He has also delivered in October, recording a 1.69 ERA over six postseason appearances. That combination of swing-and-miss stuff and playoff reliability is difficult to replace.
His contract only strengthens the case for holding firm. Glasnow is owed $30 million in each of the next two seasons, with a 2028 club option worth $30 million that converts to a $21.56 million player option if declined. For a front-line starter producing at his level, that structure offers short-term certainty without long-term payroll drag.
There is also an external variable the Dodgers cannot ignore. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, adding another layer of workload management to a rotation already navigating championship expectations. Even for an organization accustomed to depth, removing a dependable arm under those conditions would thin the margin for error.
That does not mean the Dodgers are closed to creativity. Teoscar Hernandez’s name has also circulated in trade discussions this winter, and Friedman has acknowledged the challenge of balancing an aging core with opportunities for younger players. The difference is timing. Los Angeles does not need to force a move, especially when health and attrition remain the biggest threats to another deep postseason run.
For the defending champions, protecting pitching depth may be the smartest move they make all offseason.
