The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2025 season with one of the top rotations in baseball. And once again, injuries have decimated the pitching staff.

That’s why an MLB insider believes the Dodgers should deal for a Cy Young runner-up during this month’s trade deadline.

The Dodgers are currently down Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, River Ryan, and Gavin Stone.

LA’s rotation received a boost recently as both Clayton Kershaw and Shohei Ohtani have returned to the mound. However, Ohtani hasn’t pitched more than two innings in any of his three starts.

With the Dodgers needing rotation reinforcements, ESPN’s David Schoenfield proposes that they trade for Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo, who finished second in the American League Cy Young voting in 2024.

“It’s hard to believe the Dodgers might need another starting pitcher after all the money they’ve invested in their rotation, but we still don’t know the season-long prognosis for Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, although Glasnow has at least started a rehab assignment in Triple-A. The one thing we do know is the Dodgers have a system loaded with hitting prospects that might make them the team most capable of making this trade — if they want to do it,” Schoenfield explains.

Lugo is 5-5 with a 2.74 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 15 starts.

He has a 151 ERA+, 4.18 FIP and 1.083 WHIP. There’s a strong chance he will be a free agent after the season as he holds a $15 million player option for 2026 and could make much more on the open market.

The Royals would focus on the Dodgers’ top hitting prospects like Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope if a deal was to be made.