With the rotation overflowing and a three-peat in sight, the Los Angeles Dodgers could leverage the veteran left-hander’s surging trade value to fortify their roster for another championship run.
The Los Angeles Dodgers seemingly have more starting pitchers than they know what to do with, and that puts them in an extremely comfortable position.
On paper, they have the deepest rotation and set of relief pitchers, and it's not even close.
Coming off back-to-back World Series, the question on everyone's mind is what are the Dodgers going to do at the trade deadline to go "all-in" on three-peating?
Recently, The Athletic's Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya sat down to look at the state of this team, their biggest needs, expendable pieces, and everything in-between.
Is Eric Lauer on the chopping block?
The price would have to be right, and obviously it depends on who the Dodgers are getting in return, but Woo is a firm believer that Lauer, as good as he's been in LA this season, could be traded at the deadline.
"Still, the Dodgers could look to improve on the margins as long as it doesn’t cost them a piece of their promising future core. That’s where Lauer comes in," she wrote.
Woo continued, "He’s been serviceable as the Dodgers’ sixth starter (and given how critical that is to the health of Yamamoto and Ohtani, he’s essentially saved their rotation). Lauer is also a free agent at the end of the season, and contenders always covet starting pitching at the deadline."
Woo believes the Dodgers, "could look to capitalize on the market and trade Lauer to bulk up the fringe of their 40-man or upper minor-league system."
Dodgers will trade Lauer over a prospect in a heartbeat
Lauer, 31, is a serviceable left-handed pitcher, but his age speaks for itself. On a team where prized prospect River Ryan is unable to find a spot in the big leagues, Lauer could indeed be the only logical trade piece that helps get the Dodgers to that next level.
Remember, Lauer signed a one-year, $4.4 million deal at the start of the 2026 season with the Toronto Blue Jays. He posted a -0.4 WAR and an abysmal 6.69 ERA north of the border, but has been unbelievable since coming to Los Angeles.
Lauer is 3-0 and has started six of the seven games he's appeared in for the Dodgers. His WAR is back up to 0.6 and his ERA has fallen significantly (3.12).
This team doesn't seem too attached to Lauer, and for good reason. There are no signs they were going to renew his contract next season, so it makes sense to include him in a trade to get better in whatever area the team deems necessary.
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