​Why did the Los Angeles Dodgers trade for an injured pitcher who becomes a free agent at the end of the 2026 MLB season?The question was relevant on Aug. 3 when the defending World Series champions acquired Kansas City Royals left-hander Kris Bubic, an All-Star in 2025, in a trade for minor league reliever Carlos Duran.MORE: Padres land former Cy Young winner in rare deadline trade between NL West rivalsBubic is on the Royals’ 60-day injured list. According to MLB.com, Bubic increased his throwing distance off flat ground to 80 feet last week — a long ways away from game action. Why would he be of interest to the Dodgers?Start with the process of elimination. The Dodgers’ rotation is set after they acquired two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 2.While their bullpen has been excellent, they are also facing a roster crunch. The Dodgers’ injured list represents a logjam of potential bullpen options down the stretch. Right-handers Will Klein and Brock Stewart recently joined a group that also includes veteran Blake Treinen.MORE: Brewers pitcher reacts to Tarik Skubal-Dodgers tradeWith Skubal joining the rotation, the Dodgers are effectively forced to move starter Eric Lauer to the bullpen as well. Lauer has experience relieving for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025. But he’s never lost a start with the Dodgers since they acquired him in May, going 5-0 with a 2.96 ERA in his nine appearances for Los Angeles.Lauer has been rumored to be on the trade block, as the Dodgers might look to sell high on the vetearn left-hander. The acquisition of Bubic only increases the likelihood that Lauer will be traded.Bubic has much better splits as a reliever (2.97 ERA, 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings) than as a starter (4.28 ERA, 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings) in his career.MORE: Wife of Dodgers veteran has harsh reaction to trade rumorsBubic likely doesn’t have time left in the season to ramp up his rehab to join the Dodgers’ rotation. Assuming his left elbow soreness abates, Bubic might have time to join the Dodgers’ bullpen as a long reliever, effectively making Lauer redundant.Bubic doesn’t count against the Dodgers’ 40-man roster. Duran was unlikely to factor into their postseason plans. The trade makes sense — but only for a stacked team that can focus on adding depth to its injured list.— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —