There’s a clear villain these days in Major League Baseball, and for once, it’s not the New York Yankees.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have become the new version of the Death Star, a remarkable collection of talent built as a result of their financial advantages, front office brilliance, and exceptional drafting and development. Superstar catcher Will Smith goes down with a neck injury? Top prospect Dalton Rushing is there to step in and have the second-highest weighted runs created plus (wRC) of any catcher in baseball with more than 150 plate appearances.
Expensive free agent signing Kyle Tucker gets off to a slow start? Andy Pages, who signed for $300,000 as a prospect out of Cuba, turns in a top-25 most valuable season from an offensive player to make up for it. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow miss most of the season with injuries? Unheralded Justin Wrobelski puts up a 2.69 ERA and the same wins above replacement thus far as Zack Wheeler.
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High-priced closer Edwin Diaz has arm surgery? Will Klein, picked up off the scrap heap, has a 2.27 ERA. Alex Vesia, acquired in trade for Dylan Floro, has a 2.35 ERA. Tanner Scott’s been one of the most dominant relievers in the sport, and former prospect Edgardo Henriquez has used his 102mph fastball to a 2.43 ERA and hasn’t allowed a hit in his last 30 batters faced.
Entering Thursday, the Dodgers were, unsurprisingly, at the top of the NL West and the top of the league’s overall standings at 61-33. FanGraphs gives them a 100% chance of not only making the playoffs, but winning their division. They have a 97.4% chance of clinching a bye and avoiding a wild card series. And yet another new report has suggested that their response to this could be to…acquire one of the best handful of pitchers on the planet at the trade deadline.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported this week that the Dodgers’ “best match” in trade would be Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal. The same Tarik Skubal who’s put up four consecutive seasons with an ERA o 2.80 or less, and with the combination of bat missing stuff and command that plays up in the postseason.
“Sorry,” Passan wrote. “Of all the teams to get by far the best player on the market, did it really have to be the two-time defending champions who feature the most talented player in the game’s history and a payroll that dwarfs almost every other team? Maybe not, but there are two realities at play here: The Dodgers have the sort of farm system Detroit would love to raid, and adding Skubal to a rotation that includes Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell would make them damn near unassailable.”
While hardly a done deal, Passan did say that LA could be motivated to make a bigger move not only to bring in yet another superstar, but to avoid having to face him in a potential playoff series.
“So while they could nibble around the margins like they did at the last deadline,” he added, “the opportunity to not only add Skubal to their rotation but prevent the chance of having to face him in a crucial game is tantalizing.”
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Imagine, trading for Tarik Skubal as a luxury so he doesn’t go to one of your rivals. And the crazy thing is, a trade would make sense for both sides. Yes, Wrobleski has been outstanding, and the Dodgers have Roki Sasaki starting too, but it’s unclear if either would be trusted to start a playoff game as opposed to moving to the bullpen. Snell and Glasnow are expected back this year, but with their lengthy injury histories, it’s no guarantee both are available and healthy in October. The Dodgers like to give Ohtani extra rest between starts, understandable given his unique situation, making another top starter even more valuable.
Incredibly, with all their major league talent, LA has one of baseball’s best farm systems too. Emil Morales, Eduardo Quintero, James Tibbs III, Mike Sirota, Zyhir Hope, Josue De Paula, River Ryan…it’s an embarrassment of riches. The Dodgers could deal from their outfield prospect depth, bring in Skubal for two months and October, and still have a top 5 minor league system.
It’s already an uphill battle beating LA in a five or seven game series, but imagine facing Skubal, Yamamoto, Snell, Ohtani, then Skubal again in the NLDS. That dream might soon become a reality for Dodgers fans, and a nightmare for the opposition.
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