Dodgers make shocking move with starting rotation help on the way

The first place Los Angeles Dodgers have had a wild season dealing with numerous crippling injuries but still holding on to the top spot in the NL West. Perhaps it is the weakness in the NL West that places the Dodgers eight games ahead of the second place Diamondbacks in the not so competitive western division. Either way, with a 59-41 record, they aren’t letting injuries slow them very much.

One of the positions hit the worst by injuries has been the Dodger’s starting rotation. Their lack of quality depth has them searching for another starter in Garrett Crochet or Tarik Skubal. But that makes their latest move a little more surprising.

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Dodgers DFA James Paxton with Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow returning

The Dodgers announced Monday that they have DFA’d LHP James Paxton who threw five innings and gave up three earned runs the day before. Paxton has definitely had a sub-optimal year. Through 89.1 IP, Paxton maintains a 4.43 ERA with a lackluster total of 64 K’s. 

Paxton hasn’t found much success on the mound since 2019 and his career has been muddled by injuries. But even with his struggles, he has taken the ball in 18 games posting a record of 8-2. His consistency is something the Dodgers have been lacking in their rotation.

This move comes as Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow are expected to return in the near future.

Kershaw is yet to take the mound this year after undergoing shoulder surgery during the offseason. He is set to return on Thursday against the Giants.

Glasnow last pitched on July 5 before it was announced he had lower back tightness. He is expected to return on Wednesday, just a day before Kershaw makes his season debut.

Paxton (age 35) signed a one-year, $7 million deal in January to join the Dodgers. With quite a few postseason-bound teams in the market for starting pitching before the trade deadline, it will be interesting to see what becomes of Paxton. There might be a decent market for him if teams looking for pitching don’t want to spend a fortune on bigger names.

Perhaps, this could have also been a missed trade opportunity on the part of the Dodgers who might have at least received a small package and dumped some of Paxton’s salary. In all fairness to Paxton, his ERA ballooned after two very bad starts. While no longer an ace, Paxton might still make an interesting acquisition.