The Los Angeles Dodgers could be looking to add starting pitching at the July 30 trade deadline. Tyler Galsnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May have all spent time on the injured list. Not to mention, Shohei Ohtani will not pitch until next season. Even though they will make their return, the Dodgers were named as a potential landing spot for three-time Cy Young Award Winner Max Scherzer by The Athletic’s Tim Britton and Aaron Gleeman.
Scherzer will turn 40 on July 27. However, the veteran is coming off of a World Series run with the Texas Rangers. The Dodgers have question marks in the rotation right now due to injuries. Adding an arm like Scherzer’s could stabilize the rotation and give them a proven postseason starter.
Scherzer Could Give the Dodgers Rotation a Boost
Scherzer made his season debut on June 23 after missing nearly three months with a back injury. However, since his return, he has made five starts and has a 3.99 ERA. The ERA is slightly inflated as he gave up four earned runs on July 20 against the Baltimore Orioles in a game he exited early after dealing with arm fatigue.
Outside of his last start, he has a 2.96 ERA. Scherzer is in his 17th major league season, playing for his sixth team. He pitched for the Dodgers in 2021 after being traded from the Washington Nationals. As a Dodger, he had a 1.98 ERA in 11 starts. Last season, he was traded from the New York Mets to the Rangers. On the Rangers, Scherzer had a 3.20 ERA in eight starts.
The Dodgers’ list of injured pitchers could compete for the title of the best rotation in baseball. Glasnow is on the 15-day injured list with a back injury. Yamamoto is on the 60-day injured list with a triceps injury. Kershaw has not pitched in 2024 after offseason surgery. Ohtani will not pitch this season after undergoing elbow surgery. Buehler is back on the injured list with hip inflammation. May will miss the rest of the season after esophageal surgery.
Though Kershaw and Glasnow will return soon, the Dodgers could benefit from bringing back Scherzer. However, there are obstacles in acquiring him.
Obstacles in Acquiring Scherzer
“There’s an obvious risk/reward calculus baked into trading for a surefire Hall of Famer who turns 40 this week. There are also multiple obstacles in the way of a trade: Texas has to decide to sell, and Scherzer would have to again waive a no-trade clause,” wrote Britton and Gleeman.
The Rangers are the defending champions, but find themselves seven and a half games back of the last wild card spot. They have not yet indicated any intentions at the trade deadline.
However, Scherzer has made it clear where he stands in terms of his no-trade clause. During an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast on July 10, Scherzer was asked if he would be open to waiving his no-trade clause again this year.
“I’m not going to do that,” said Scherzer. “But I just don’t think I even have to think about that. I think we’re going to play better baseball. It’s going to be a moot point to even talk about. I think we’re going to win here.”
The Rangers are 3-3 since that interview. They have gained ground in the division race in that time. They are now five games back of the Houston Astros for the division lead.
Scherzer’s health could also play a factor. He exited his last start against the Orioles with arm fatigue. However, early indications are that the injury is not serious.
“Once I got out there, (the fatigue) was affecting my stuff, and it was affecting my location. … I knew I needed to come out of the ballgame, otherwise I was going to be risking further injury,” Scherzer said according to The Associated Press’ Stephen Hawkins. “But the good news to it is that I didn’t have any zings, I didn’t strain anything.”
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