Despite a 48-31 record and a healthy 8.5-game lead in the NL West, things are not so squeaky-clean for the Dodgers, who have been ravished by injuries, arguably more than any other team in MLB. Chances are the Dodgers can continue to juggle injuries to position players like third baseman Max Muncy and Swiss Army MVP candidate Mookie Betts, but when it comes to mounting bumps and bruises in the starting rotation, it’s likely that something will need to be done.
And the thing that will be most-discussed in the coming weeks will be a trade. The Dodgers could be patient and let the injury bug work itself out, but adding a low-cost arm to chew up innings seems like a bit of a no-brainer for this team.
Currently, for the Dodgers, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a shoulder injury, with no timeline to return yet. Pitcher Walker Buehler, who has struggled has he returns from his second Tommy John surgery, is on the disabled list now with a hip injury. Ace Clayton Kershaw has not pitched this season as he recovers from shoulder surgery, and had a setback this week after experiencing soreness following his first rehab start.
This group needs help. There is one pitcher on the trade market who can fit that bill for the Dodgers, and has the added benefit of bringing an air of familiarity. That’s lefty Tyler Anderson, a former Dodgers All-Star who is toiling for the Angels, a team expected to undergo a trade deadline sell-off next month.
Dodgers Need Replacements
That’s the thought from the folks at LAFB, the Southern California sports analysis site, which tabbed Anderson as a trade candidate to replace Yamamoto.
“Simply put, the Dodgers rotation just needs healthy bodies who Dave Roberts can rely on to eat innings. He knows from experience that Tyler Anderson can do just that,” analyst Matt Johnson wrote this week.
“The 34-year-old southpaw posted a 2.57 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and a 138-34 K-BB ratio in 178.2 innings with the Dodgers in the 2022 season. After an awful 2023 campaign with the Los Angeles Angels, Anderson has rebounded this season with a 2.58 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 14 starts. Anderson would offer immediate support for the Dodgers rotation.”
Anderson earned an All-Star spot for that turn with the Dodgers, and got a three-year, $39 million contract from the Angels, to boot.
Tyler Anderson Went 15-5 in 2022
Anderson came up with the Rockies and was forged there, for the first four years of his career, until he went to the Giants, then bounced between the Pirates and Mariners before landing with the Dodgers.
In L.A., Anderson had his best career season, going 15-5. He struggled in his first season with the Angels, though.
Anderson has been much better this year, going 6-7 with a 2.48 ERA and a WHIP of 1.177. Still, with the Angels heading into a needed rebuilding program, Anderson is expected to be on the move once the trade market heats up.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman pegged Anderson this month as the fifth-most likely player to be traded in July, writing: “Tyler Anderson, Angels SP: Believe it or not, his (4.0) WAR leads all pitchers. Taylor Ward and Carlos Estevez also could go. Chances to be dealt: Good.”
