‘Tis the season. Just one week remains until the 2026 season’s trade deadline, which this year is August 3rd. The Dodgers are expected to be sellers as opposed to buyers, as this year there are more teams still involved in a playoff run.
The Dodgers also will have a little trade deadline action of their own, so to speak. Edwin Díaz, Kiké Hernández, and Blake Snell are all expected back soon, with Hernández slated to return to the team on Tuesday. As always, the Dodgers will be in on any big-name players,
such as Tarik Skubal, should he become available. But for the most part, the team could be looking to part ways with some current players to bolster their farm system.
Eric Lauer and Alex Call are two names that could potentially be shopped, according to Katie Woo at The Athletic. Lauer came over in a trade in mid-May when Tyler Glasnow hit the IL. He has handled being an inning eater well- the team has yet to lose a game that he starts. While keeping him for depth would be the prudent thing to do, the Dodgers could flip him for some prospects like they did with Dustin May last season.
Call being traded makes a little more sense, now that both Hernández’s are back from the IL. His being another handed bat makes him redundant, and the Dodgers are looking to add to their farm system.
Shohei Ohtani is not currently pitching, and the front office and manager Dave Roberts insist that that will not affect their actions at the deadline. Meanwhile, he remains in the lineup.
“From his words, the hitting, the running, as he has done the last couple nights, doesn’t affect him,” Roberts said. “I can only go by what he and the training staff are telling me. So, unless I hear otherwise, that hitting compromises his health, then I’m going to keep putting him in the lineup.”
Edwin Díaz is slated to return to the team on Wednesday. Tyler Glasnow faced live hitters on Friday, and he is expected to make one rehab part before he returns to the rotation. Blake Snell is slated to make his third rehab start on Wednesday in Triple-A Oklahoma City. This outing will be about 60 pitches, and the team would prefer to have his get up to 75 pitches before he comes back. However, as Katie points out, the Dodgers do not have another off day until August 6th and might prefer to bring him back before he reaches that threshold.
