The Dodgers currently have 11 players — all pitchers — on the IL. Some of them, like Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, Gavin Stone, and Brusdar Graterol, were always going to start their years there, but everything else has come from a cavalcade of more in-season bad luck (probably with a dash of arm mismanagement).
While it feels like something has to give at some point and the Dodgers will eventually stop losing arms, that’s not a guarantee, and the front office should already be scanning for contingencies they could jump on at the trade deadline.
4 pitching reinforcements Dodgers could target at the trade deadline
Erick Fedde
The Cardinals are having a better go at things through their first 50 games than they did last year, when they ended up staying below .500 until mid-June, but they’re going to have a very tough time getting around the Cubs in the NL Central and may be squeezed out of a Wild Card spot by the Mets, Giants, and Padres.
That picture will become clearer by the deadline, but if things are still looking dire, Fedde could be an option.
He has a 3.77 ERA through 10 starts and pitched a complete game shutout on May 9, and he’s only making $7.5 million this year, which could make him a very attractive candidate as a fourth or fifth starter for any contending team, as long as he keeps his ERA around 4.00.
Pablo López
López, who has a 2.40 ERA through his first eight starts, was already floated as an option for the Dodgers and Cubs by FanSided insider Robert Murray.
The Twins look like potential contenders right now, but the Wild Card race is going to be tight in the American League, with most of the AL Central and West floating right around .500. If the Twins’ hold loosens and allows the likes of the Astros or Rangers to creep in, they could look to sell.
López has a far more lucrative contract than Fedde; he’s owed $73.5 million through 2027. It could solve an early problem the Dodgers, with Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May set to hit free agency at the end of the season.
Ryan Helsley
Helsley would be another true rental from St. Louis and is owed $8.2 million in his last season before free agency. He led baseball in saves last season with 49 and has nine in 12 finished games so far this season.
The Dodgers have a closer in Tanner Scott, but Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates, and Evan Phillips’ absences have left massive holes in the bullpen, especially for high leverage situations.
Helsley’s name has already been thrown out as an option for the Phillies, who lost Jose Alvarado to a PED suspension this week, so his market could be competitive if the Cardinals are willing to sell.
Andrés Muñoz
The Mariners are sitting relatively comfortably atop the AL West right now, but it’s the Mariners, so anything could happen by the trade deadline. Muñoz hasn’t allowed a single earned run in 21 2/3 innings this season and leads baseball with 16 saves so far. He would take a lot more firepower from a buying team to tempt Seattle in a trade, especially with his exceptionally team-friendly contract that contains club options with escalating pay from 2026 through 2028, but he would be would be a prized addition if the Dodgers are still losing big bullpen arms by late July.
