This Dodgers-Angels trade for Reid Detmers would solve L.A.'s sudden pitching crisis

If you saw "crisis" and "Dodgers" in the same sentence and had an immediate urge to roll your eyes, I wouldn't blame you. These are the two-time defending World Series champions we're talking about, yes, and despite a loss in the series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, they're still running away with the NL West and neck and neck with the Milwaukee Brewers for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs at 63-38.

And yet, it's hard not to feel like Monday's loss was something of a canary in the proverbial coal mine. L.A. closed the first half by getting lit up at home by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and while they took two of three against the New York Yankees after the All-Star break, their pitching was once again non-competitive in Philly. Emmet Sheehan gave up six runs on eight hits and a walk in 5.1 innings of work, raising his ERA for the year to 5.13.

The Dodgers also don't have much choice but to keep running him out there. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow remain on the 60-day IL, and with Shohei Ohtani's myriad health issues keeping him from pitching for the time being, here's how L.A.'s rotation currently stacks up.

Snell is already on a rehab assignment, and maybe Ohtani and Glasnow are fine come October. That's a lot of ifs, though, and Andrew Friedman doesn't seem like the type to leave a potential threepeat bid to chance. Tarik Skubal might not be on the block at the trade deadline, but luckily, the team right down I-5 can help.

What a Dodgers trade for Reid Detmers would look like

With Skubal, Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray potentially unavailable and Freddy Peralta actively imploding, you could make the argument that Los Angeles Angels lefty Reid Detmers is the best pitcher remaining on an increasingly ugly market. Don't let the lefty's 4.16 ERA fool you; he has dynamite stuff that contenders are tripping over themselves to get their hands on. Of course, he has two more years of team control remaining and plays for a bitter Dodgers rival, so he also won't come cheap.

Despite his struggles this year, Sheehan isn't far removed from the promising young arm who thrived when given a chance in the Dodgers rotation last season. He's a 26-year-old mid-rotation starter who won't even hit arbitration until next year, and on top of that, the Angels would also be getting two of the six or seven best prospects in an absolutely loaded L.A. system in Sirota and Zazueta. The former has blossomed into one of the best prospects in the entire sport since being acquired in the trade for Gavin Lux, while the latter is one of the breakout players of this Minor League season with bonkers numbers at Double-A.

Two starters to add to the rotation and two potential difference-makers in the outfield, all cost-controlled? That's objectively nice value for a player who probably won't be around to see the next era of competitive Angels baseball. Then again, with Arte Morneo, things are rarely so simple.

Would the Dodgers make this trade for Reid Detmers?

Word out of Chavez Ravine is that the Dodgers won't allow injuries to affect their deadline strategy. But really, who are we kidding? This is Friedman we're talking about; since when has he turned down a chance to acquire a star-level talent for the stretch run?

And make no mistake, Detmers really does have that kind of potential, as his wicked stuff and 3.26 expected ERA suggest. With Glasnow entering the final year of his deal in 2027 and Ohtani's future on the mound up in the air, L.A. could use pitching insurance both in the short and long term. Detmers could take off in this pitching development machine, and this trade would allow the Dodgers to acquire a playoff-caliber starter without putting a meaningful dent in their prospect depth. (They'd still have Josue de Paula, Zyhir Hope and Edgardo Quintero in the outfield, plus more pitching risers like righty River Ryan and lefty Zach Root.)

This is a team well-positioned to take a swing, and with Skubal and other more established aces off the table, Detmers feels like a very Dodgers move.

Verdict: Yes

Would the Angels accept this trade package for Reid Detmers?

There's a chance that the Angels don't even pick up the phone when they see who's calling. Moreno has never run this team with a dispassionate or long-view mindset, and that's only become more apparent as the Dodgers establish dominance not just in Los Angeles but around the world. The last thing he wants to do is further cement his crosstown rival as the face of the sport.

And yet ... man, from a purely team-building perspective, this would be hard to turn down. Detmers will be a free agent after the 2028 season; given that the Angels certainly aren't competing for anything next year, that offers a very narrow window with which to capitalize on him as a member of the team's rotation. This trade could change the trajectory of the franchise, offering a path forward with a new young nucleus on both sides of the ball.

Then again, this is Moreno we're talking about. He'll probably be content with standing pat and trying to win 79 games next season.

Verdict: It depends just how petty Arte Moreno wants to be (translation: don't hold your breath)

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