The MLB trade deadline is next week, and with back surgery a possibility for Clayton Kershaw, the Los Angeles Dodgers need starting pitching help.
Kershaw has been on the disabled list since late June because of a herniated disk in his lower back, and there is no timetable for his return. Also on the DL, starters Hyun-Jin Ryu (elbow tendinitis), Brett Anderson (back surgery) and Alex Wood (elbow surgery).
The Dodgers, 16-8 without Kershaw, are hanging in there, but the need for a top-of-the rotation starter is clear-cut.
Here are eight starting pitchers the Dodgers should trade for.
Chris Archer
The Tampa Bay Rays ace will not come cheap. He’s reportedly not available unless a totally overwhelming offer is made. The Dodgers have the prospects that fit what the Rays are looking for, and Dodgers president Andrew Friedman is close with Rays president Matt Silverman. One league executive tells ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark there’s a “70 percent” chance Archer lands in Los Angeles.
Archer, 27, finished fifth in the AL Cy Young voting last season, striking out 252 in 212 innings and combining that with a 3.23 ERA. This season, Archer is 5-14 with a 4.42 ERA but he leads the AL in strikeouts with 155.
Sonny Gray
After finishing third in the AL CY Young voting last season, the Oakland Athletics ace has been lousy up to this point. Gray owns the majors’ second-highest ERA (5.43), and the A’s have lost 11 of his past 15 starts. But Gray, a 14-game winner two years in a row, is just what the Dodgers are looking for.
ESPN’s Jim Bowden said during a telecast last month (via DodgerBlue.com) the Dodgers want a young starter in his mid-20s, and Gray is on their list. But like Archer, Gray is going to be expensive, even if he doesn’t have his best stuff this year.
Rich Hill
According to Jon Heyman of The Fanrag Sports Network, the Dodgers “like” Hill and “could go for him.” The 36-year-old lefty is second in the A’s rotation behind Gray, but he’s pitching like the ace of his team. Hill is 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA through 14 starts. Not bad for a guy that was pitching in an independent league around this time last year.
Hill hasn’t pitched since July 17 because of a torn blister on his left middle finger, though a DL stint seems unlikely. He’s not the young starter the Dodgers are after, but he’s affordable and a pitcher that could help them win now.
Matt Moore
The 27-year-old southpaw is drawing strong trade interest around the majors after putting together five consecutive quality starts for the Rays. In 34 innings of work, Moore has only allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits, and his ERA went from a 5.56 to a 4.31 over his last eight starts.
Scouts from the Dodgers were on hand to see Moore pitch against the AL-leading Baltimore Orioles on July 16, reports Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times. He pitched a season-high 7 1/3 innings, allowing only two earned runs on five hits. The Rays have multiple pitchers the Dodgers could be interested in, and Moore is one of them.
Jake Odorizzi
Odorizzi is the youngest of the Rays trio the Dodgers have been linked to. He turned 26 in March and has pitched well for the Rays the past two seasons. The right-hander was 9-9 with a 3.35 ERA in 28 starts for the Rays in 2015, with 150 strikeouts in 169 1/3 innings. The Dodgers reportedly inquired about Odorizzi in December long before Kershaw’s back injury. Now that Kershaw is on the shelf, they may be re-visiting the idea of trading for Odorizzi.
Jose Quintana
An All-Star for the first time in his career, Quintana ranks in the top 10 in the AL in ERA (2.97), WHIP (1.10), WAR (3.6) and strikeouts (116). He’s one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, but the Chicago White Sox are “treating him like a No. 1” on the trade market, Jeff Passan of Yahoo reports. One source said the price on Quintana is nearly as high as that on Chris Sale, the White Sox’s No. 1 and arguably the top pitcher available. But Quintana, 27, is durable and works deep into games, something the Dodgers desperately need from their starting rotation.
Chris Sale
The White Sox are reportedly seeking a massive haul in return for Sale. Something like five to seven prospects would get a deal done. The five-time All-Star is a no-brainer to trade for. Sale would give the team an ace without Kershaw, and co-aces if Kershaw is able to return this year. But if the Dodgers want Sale, they’ll probably have to fork over prized pitching prospect Julio Urias. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports the Dodgers are willing to put the 19-year-old left-hander on the table if it means getting Sale to Los Angeles.
Julio Teheran
The last-place Braves say they aren’t trading Teheran, but the Dodgers might be able to change their mind on the subject.
Braves general manager John Coppolella told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal he would need a major league hitter of comparable age and quality in return for Teheran, who has the third-best WHIP (0.96) in the majors. The Dodgers could try to sell the Braves on Yasiel Puig, who is the same age as Teheran. Puig has struggled to stay healthy the past couple of seasons, but he is undeniably talented, having finished in the top 20 in the NL MVP voting in 2013 and 2014.
