Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
While there are still a couple of months to go until the end of the trading period, the rumor mill has already been hard at work in thinking about who could next be coming to Dodger Stadium.
The ongoing injury crisis has meant that the Dodgers will need to work hard to bring in extra relief to the pitcher’s mound, while the debacle surrounding Gavin Lux is an issue that needs to be swiftly resolved. Although the sportsbooks featured at resources like PromoGuy are still giving the Dodgers short odds to win the World Series, it’s clear that their team needs extra strength in depth.
Dodgers looking to boost areas of weakness
Few people would doubt the mighty hitters within the Dodgers ranks. However, while Gavin Lux has very few fans in the baseball community, there are some other players who could be on their way out in order to make way for some more positive additions.
One of the most interesting of these additions could be the potential arrival of Nolan Arenado and Justin Verlander. OK, so these might initially appear to be highly unlikely trades, but there is a fair amount of reason behind such speculation.
First of all, Nolan Arenado is a quality all-round player that put in some dazzling performances during his tenure with the Rockies. While he never managed to hit those heights at the Cardinals, a fresh start somewhere like the Dodgers does make a kind of sense. Plus he will want a chance to get yet another Gold Glove award.
The reasons against bringing Arenado to Dodger Stadium are multiple. First of all, there is the fact that Arenado still has four years and $76 million left on his contract, and secondly, it could be an unusual fit for the player amongst the Dodgers.
Then there is the likes of Justin Verlander. He has had an interesting time with the Astros recently and while that team doesn’t have any big selling plans, it doesn’t take too much imagination to picture Verlander making the surprise switch to the Dodgers.
This is definitely true when you think about how Verlander could work in rotation with Clayton Kershaw once that player comes back in a few months. However, there is still plenty of baseball to be played, and such a move might be a step too far for the Dodgers who will be unwilling to upset things too much.
Reinforcements not revolution
If anything, the Dodgers simply need to sit tight and consolidate their areas of success rather than dramatically overhauling their squad in the coming months. After all, the team are still miles ahead of their rivals at the top of National League West and this comes despite the fact of having 11 pitchers on the injury list.
What is remarkable is the fact that the Dodgers are managing to maintain this impressive run despite losing the pitching abilities of star player Shohei Ohtani earlier this February. The team have won eight of their ten last games and are on course to pick up their first World Series title since 2020.
Much of this has come from the Dodgers making the right kinds of signings early on rather than leaving things too late. As well as Ohtani, the inking of the 12-year deal of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was an inspired move and it laid the groundwork for what is turning out to be a phenomenally successful season. So while it’s fun to think about which players could be coming to the Dodgers, it looks like the team doesn’t really need them.
