Sunday, July 26, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

An 8-3 loss to the New York Mets ended the Los Angeles Dodgers’ road trip to the East Coast with six wins and 3 losses.

Rather than dwelling on a disappointing loss, I will focus on the upcoming trading deadline on August 3^rd.

Since the Dodgers have the best record in baseball, they don’t have many needs. Many pundits think the Dodgers should obtain Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers. I don’t because the Dodgers probably can’t retain Skubal’s services for the 2027 season.

The Dodgers have a strong starting rotation already. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has performed well even after he put on a historic performance during the 2025 postseason, and he should continue dominating his opponents barring an injury, as he competes to be the first Japanese-born pitcher to win a Cy Young Award. Justin Wrobleski has been the surprise of the rotation and doesn’t show any signs of letting up. Eric Lauer has pitched well since becoming a Dodger. Roki Sasaki has shown signs of becoming a dominant major league starter.

Soon, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani should return to the mound. Snell is on a rehabilitation assignment after having loose bodies removed from his pitching elbow, and he feels the best since becoming a Dodger. Glasnow is throwing bullpen sessions regularly for the first time since going on the IL with back spasms on May 6^th, and Glasnow and the Dodgers hope he can return in early September. Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3^rd because of his troublesome left knee, and no one knows when he can return to the mound.

While everyone is focusing on the starting rotation upgrades, the Dodgers need a catcher and another experienced right-handed reliever.

When Will Smith first sat out a game on June 6^th because of a sore neck, no one thought much of it. Everyone has slept wrong and had a crick in their neck. After all, baseball players are humans.

Smith has never played since. During the All-Star break, he stopped baseball activities to get pain-free. He is pain-free, but no one knows when he can return.

In Smith’s absence, Dalton Rushing has done the bulk of catching and proving he can be an everyday major league catcher. In 70 games, he has a .246 batting average with 11 home runs and 33 RBI.

However, the Dodgers don’t have any catching depth in their organization. When Eliezer Alfonzo plays, Dave Roberts has been pinch-hitting for him. Thus, Rushing rarely has had a day off. If either Rushing or Alfonzo gets injured, the Dodgers will be in trouble. The Dodgers need a veteran catcher who knows how to handle a talented pitching staff. This catcher will not capture the headlines but will be valuable to the organization.

The Dodgers have a good bullpen, but if a reliever gets injured, the bullpen can be trouble. Every elite team can use another reliever. Luckily, the Dodgers have Jack Dreyer, Alex Vesia, and Tanner Scott, who are having strong performances in 2026, from the left side. Left relievers are in higher demand than righties.

While the members of the media are dreaming of headline-catching trades for the Dodgers, the likelihood of this happening is slim. Roberts gave us a possible preview of the trading deadline for the Dodgers when he said the Dodgers “probably will be sellers.” The team needs to restock its farm system to have continuing success.