All-Star Weekend has come and gone, and soon enough, MLB's stretch run will kick off in earnest. Which can only mean one thing: Trade season is officially upon us, with just two weeks to go until this year's trade deadline.
And to the surprise of absolutely no one, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in great position. L.A. closed the first half on a bit of a down note, losing seven of their last nine games before the break, but that wasn't enough to loosen their commanding lead over the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants in the NL West. Plus, with a farm system that once again ranks among the deepest in the sport, Andrew Friedman and Co. have enough ammo to address any needs they identify ahead of the deadline.
Unfortunately for the rest of the league, they might not even need to. The Dodgers have already been through more than their share of adversity this season, but the team's injury luck appears to be turning for the better. And the pitchers they're set to get back over the next few weeks might be as good as any haul Friedman could hope to secure in July.
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Dodgers trending toward getting healthy at the perfect time
It's old news at this point, but it's worth reiterating just how hard Los Angeles' pitching staff has been hit by injuries over the first few months of 2025. Take a look at where the team's depth stood on Opening Day, and how it's been thinned since.
RHP Shohei Ohtani (didn't make his debut on the mound until June)
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
LHP Blake Snell (out since April with shoulder inflammation)
RHP Tyler Glasnow (missed over two months with shoulder inflammation)
RHP Roki Sasaki (out since May with shoulder impingement)
LHP Clayton Kershaw (missed first six weeks due to shoulder surgery)
RHP Tony Gonsolin (out since June with elbow discomfort)
RHP Dustin May
RHP Gavin Stone (will miss all of 2025 with shoulder surgery)
RHP Emmet Sheehan
LHP Justin Wrobleski
RHP Landon Knack
RHP Bobby Miller
RHP Kyle Hurt (will miss most of 2025 with Tommy John surgery)
RHP River Ryan (will miss 2025 with Tommy John surgery)
That's ... a lot to deal with. Oh, and former closer Evan Phillips is out for the year due to Tommy John, while Brusdar Graterol might not pitching this season either. In that light, it' s a miracle the Dodgers have even managed to keep their head above water.
But the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint; what matters most is how healthy you are in September and October. And there's good news on that front, news that might allow Los Angeles to keep its powder relatively dry at the trade deadline.
Glasnow is finally back after missing most of the season so far due to a shoulder issue. Snell just completed his second rehab outing on Tuesday, striking out seven over three innings of work. Ohtani is being slowly stretched out, completing three innings in his most recent start, while Kershaw is back in rhythm after offseason shoulder surgery. Even Sasaki got some good news over the All-Star break, as manager Dave Roberts revealed he's begun throwing bullpen sessions again and could be back on a big-league mound by late August.
In just a few weeks' time, the Dodgers could be rolling out a rotation of Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, May, Kershaw and Ohtani, all of which doesn't even leave room for Sasaki when he returns. You can never have too much pitching, and it's always possible that injury rears its head again before the playoffs begin, but that looks more like a strength than a need.
The bullpen could use some reinforcing, as all bullpens could this time of year, and it'd be a surprise if Friedman didn't at least add there. But Blake Treinen has begun a rehab stint of his own, and Michael Kopech could be back by August as he recovers from knee surgery, two huge swing-and-miss weapons that will be added to the late-inning formula. In that light, why would Friedman bust out the big guns to land, say, Jhoan Duran or Sandy Alcantara, when he can instead make more minor upgrades with the knowledge that all he's really dealing for at this point is depth?