As the 2024 MLB trade deadline approaches, the Los Angeles Dodgers could be among the teams that make significant moves. Currently controlling the National League West, the Dodgers are seemingly evaluating opportunities to strengthen their roster. As the deadline draws near, all eyes are on Los Angeles to see how they navigate the trade market and position themselves for success in the second half of the season.
A Dominating Offense, Despite the Imbalance
This season is crazy in the sense that the Dodgers are ranked near the top of almost every team offense category, but fans have seen how badly the team can perform on a given night. The team is currently ranked second in the majors with a collective .771 OPS and third with 412 runs scored. Obviously, a lot of that production was before Mookie Betts broke his hand, so it doesn’t necessarily reflect the current potency.
Regardless, we see the offense catch fire to produce double-digit runs sprees only to go dormant for days at a time not long after. Bringing back Betts and hopefully getting Max Muncy back at some point instantly makes the lineup deeper, addressing a subpar bottom-of-the-order group that continues to struggle.
With Betts healthy, the top of the order is about as good as it gets in the MLB. However, the bottom of the lineup could be among the worst.
While the Dodgers look fantastic with all the numbers rolled together on paper, they still lack perhaps one more legitimate bat that could accompany Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman. Teoscar Hernandez, Will Smith, and eventually Betts.
A Deep Starting Rotation
In the pitching department, Los Angeles starting pitchers currently have a combined 3.40 team ERA, third in the majors behind the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies. We’ve seen a few significant injuries so far — see Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler — but the rotation continues to shine. Righty Gavin Stone has been the anchor of the rotation in the first half with a 9-2 record and an impressive 2.73 ERA with one complete-game shutout.
More importantly, Landon Knack has contributed on a high level to allow the team to stay atop the league leaders. James Paxton continues to impress the baseball world with some of the best numbers from a southpaw this year.
It’s been two weeks since Yamamoto went on the shelf with a rotator cuff issue, but he has yet to begin a throwing program, suggesting that his return could be longer than expected. Veteran Clayton Kershaw has been shut down with shoulder soreness, so it’s certainly unwise to expect any contributions sometime soon, if at all. The same probably applies to Dustin May.
While the team looks fairly deep on paper for starting pitching, there really aren’t many MLB-ready options beyond Knack. Snagging a proven starter before the deadline could be a smart choice, depending on how things look with Yamamoto and Buehler over the next two to three weeks.
An Unpredictable Bullpen
With Joe Kelly, Brusdar Graterol and Ryan Brasier all on the injured list, nobody would think the Dodgers have the second-best bullpen ERA in the majors at 3.08. Obviously, ERA can be a misleading stat for relievers, but as a group, the Los Angeles bullpen is still in the MLB Top 3 with a 1.06 WHIP and a .203 batting average against.
Half of the current relief crew is made up of names like Yohan Ramirez, Anthony Banda, Michael Petersen and Ryan Yarbrough, suggesting the bullpen might not be as talented as the numbers indicate. With Blake Treinen seemingly unreliable lately, it could be wise to bolster the relief crew with at least one or two reliable arms, unless you trust Daniel Hudson or Alex Vesia to set the stage for Evan Phillips night in and night out.
Keep an eye on young righty Kyle Hurt, as he could be one of those instant upgrades should the Dodgers not make a big bullpen splash at the deadline.
2024 Deadline Outlook
Teams have been quiet about their negotiations and conversations about trades in recent years, compared to decades ago when the press would run wild with any whisper about a potential deal. Still, there’s more than four weeks remaining before this year’s July 30 deadline, meaning that everything is currently on the table as far as possibilities go.
The Dodgers could be big players in the coming weeks — especially in the reliever market — but the progressions of players like Kershaw, May, Kelly, Graterol, Yamamoto and Buehler over the next month could significantly determine how active they will be.