​The Los Angeles Dodgers appear to have more starting pitchers than they know what to do with, and that abundance has put them in an incredibly advantageous position. On paper, their rotation is the deepest in baseball, paired with a bullpen that’s arguably unmatched, and the disparity is striking. After consecutive trips to the World Series, the prevailing question is how the Dodgers might approach the trade deadline in order to go all-in on a third championship and a potential three-peat.
Recently, The Athletic’s Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya sat down to assess the current state of the team, identify their most pressing needs, highlight expendable assets, and weigh everything in-between. While the price tag would have to be right and obviously depend on who Dodgers receive in return, Woo remains convinced that David Lauer, despite his strong contributions in Los Angeles this season, could be moved at the deadline. “Still, the Dodgers could look to improve on the margins as long as it doesn’t cost them a piece of their promising future core. That’s where Lauer comes in,” she wrote.
Woo elaborated further, noting that Lauer has been serviceable as the Dodgers’ sixth starter, a role increasingly critical to the health of their rotation around a workload that includes Yamamoto and Ohtani. In this context, Lauer’s presence has essentially steadied the rotation. And because he’s a free agent at season’s end and given that contending clubs always covet starting pitching at the deadline, Woo believes there’s value in capitalizing on the market by trading Lauer to bolster the fringe of the 40-man roster or the upper levels of the minor leagues.
At 31, Lauer is a dependable left-handed pitcher, though his age is a factor in the conversation. In a scenario where prized prospect River Ryan has yet to claim a permanent spot in the big leagues, Lauer could realistically emerge as the most logical trade piece that helps the Dodgers reach the next tier. Remember, Lauer signed a one-year, $4.4 million deal at the start of the 2026 season with the Toronto Blue Jays. He carried a -0.4 WAR and an alarming 6.69 ERA in Toronto, but has flourished since joining Los Angeles. He’s 3-0, having started six of the seven games he’s appeared in for the Dodgers. His WAR has been revived to 0.6, and his ERA has dropped markedly to 3.12.
This Dodgers club doesn’t appear to be deeply tied to Lauer, and there are good reasons for that. There were no clear indications that the team planned to renew his contract next season, which makes trading him a sensible option if it helps address a more critical need elsewhere. In the grand scheme, the Dodgers’ depth gives them latitude to explore meaningful upgrades without sacrificing a core group they’ve built with an eye toward ongoing success.
If you’re following the Dodgers’ maneuvering, you know there’s always a balance to strike between maximizing the present and safeguarding the future. The Dodgers have an opportunity to leverage this depth to address whatever gaps exist on the roster, all while preserving their most valuable assets for years to come. It’s a delicate calculus: trade a quality asset for a targeted upgrade that can push them over the top—or hold firm and risk missing out on the opportunity to capitalize on a window that might not stay open indefinitely.
As the trade deadline approaches, the conversations around Lauer will be illustrative of the broader strategy the Dodgers choose to pursue. Will they view Lauer as a versatile piece to flip for a marginal bump, or will they decide to hold him, counting on his remaining value as a potential contributor down the stretch and into the postseason? Only time will tell, but the logic behind potentially moving him is clear: maximize value for the present without undermining the team’s long-term aspirations.
Stay tuned for more updates and analysis as the Dodgers navigate this critical period. The team’s depth, combined with their ongoing pursuit of a championship, ensures that every decision will be scrutinized and weighed against the goal of sustaining sustained success in a highly competitive landscape.