After another pitching injury and the Padres looming, will the depleted Dodgers regret their quiet trade deadline?
ANAHEIM, Calif. – On the same day the Dodgers announced that starter Tony Gonsolin underwent season-ending elbow surgery, their beleaguered bullpen took another more costly hit. Brock Stewart, the lone high-leverage arm the team acquired at the trade deadline to address their most glaring area of need, joined the bevy of Dodgers relievers already residing on the injured list in the latest blow to a floundering unit.
'Right now, it’s a big loss,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said ahead of Wednesday's game against the Angels. 'Obviously, he’s a big part of what we’re trying to do, so to not have him available hurts.' Stewart, who made just four appearances with his new club before being sidelined, is dealing with shoulder inflammation. The Dodgers hope they caught it early enough that he can still help them down the stretch, but hope is all they have now for a besieged bullpen that is waiting for many of its most important pieces to get healthy, return to form or both. In Stewart, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol, five of their potential October high-leverage options are currently sidelined. Still, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman remains optimistic. 'First and foremost, I think that we have a very legitimate chance to have the most talented pitching staff in October we've ever had,' Friedman maintained. 'First, we have to qualify for October. If we're fortunate enough to do that, I think we will have arguably our most talented pitching staff that we've ever had with some really good pitchers left off. It's what I'm anticipating.' In the interim, the Dodgers are attempting to patch together a problem area that was only lightly addressed at a deadline that saw a number of other top National League competitors make more meaningful bullpen moves. The Padres, who trailed the Dodgers by six games in the division as recently as July 25, are now tied atop the NL West after getting a boost from a litany of deadline additions that included flamethrowing reliever Mason Miller. The Phillies found their closer for the present and future in Jhoan Duran, who has locked down each of his first four save opportunities in Philadelphia. The Mets, while stumbling of late, added a trio of high-leverage options in the bullpen including two-time All-Star Ryan Helsley, who led the majors in saves last season. The Dodgers, meanwhile, decided against parting with any top prospects to try to bolster a bullpen that ranks in the bottom 10 in ERA, has thrown more innings than any in baseball and is missing most of its top arms. 'We don’t feel any differently about our aspirations than we did at the beginning of the year,' Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said after the deadline. Even now, with Stewart hurt and the revamped Padres on their tails, the Dodgers’ front office is not lamenting or regretting last month’s inaction. 'You don’t live like that,' Friedman said. 'There’s deals that we thought made sense for us, we pursued hard. It’s not like we had a potential to do a deal and we were like, ‘No,’ and now we’re like, ‘Oh, I wish we would have.’ It’s always that balance. Lining up on a trade is hard.' They were able to make a few on the margins, including sending outfielder James Outman to Minnesota to acquire Stewart. The former Twins reliever had been lethal against right-handed hitters all year but came with a checkered injury history, including season-ending shoulder surgery last season. 'From our standpoint, we felt like the upside – and hopefully we still have the chance to realize that – far outweighed the risk,' Friedman said. 'But of course there's inherent risk in every decision that's made, even decisions that aren't made.' Stewart was brought in primarily to address the season-ending loss of Evan Phillips, who underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year. Now, they’re both among the many high-leverage absences in the group. 'I’m not worried about our pitching,' Friedman maintained. 'Once we get to a good spot, I think it’s going to be a real strength for us.' Friedman entered the season hoping the juggernaut roster he assembled this winter would be deep enough that he wouldn’t need to buy in July. But the game is not played on paper, and many of the club’s winter additions and re-signings have yet to play to their potential. Michael Conforto has the lowest batting average of any qualified MLB hitter. Tommy Edman, who agreed to a five-year extension in November, is on the injured list with a recurring ankle issue. Teoscar Hernandez, who agreed to a three-year extension in January, is hitting just slightly above league average. Blake Snell has made just four starts, though his last one was particularly encouraging. Roki Sasaki, who is scheduled to start a rehab assignment this week, registered a 4.72 ERA in eight starts before going on the injured list. Still, the rotation is starting to round into form. The issues in the bullpen, meanwhile, continue to linger and create uncertainty at a time when the Padres are breathing down their necks. The Dodgers added two of the most highly-touted relief options on the market this offseason in Scott and Yates, who were both coming off All-Star campaigns. Both have performed at a replacement level this year, with ERAs over 4.00, and are currently injured. Two more high-leverage options, Kopech and Graterol, are also sidelined. On the bright side, all four of those relievers are expected back before year’s end. Kopech faced hitters on Monday and could return before the end of the month. Scott and Yates are expected to throw live batting practice sessions later this week, while Graterol, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, could make his debut next month. Right now, though, losses are mounting, and the late innings are unpredictable. The Dodgers are 15-20 since the start of July. Their bullpen this month has an 0-4 record with more blown saves than saves . Blake Treinen, a bullpen hero last October who re-signed on a two-year deal this December, has allowed three runs and 13 baserunners in six appearances since returning from a forearm injury on July 27. Alex Vesia, who had been among the most reliable options all year, allowed the game-winning run in the ninth inning Sunday against the Blue Jays and the game-tying run in the ninth inning of Tuesday's extra-inning loss against the Angels. 'Super frustrating,' Vesia said. 'At a loss of words.' There's no telling what any of the injured relievers will look like upon their returns, which made the Dodgers' deadline inactivity such a risk a year after their bullpen helped carry them to the finish line. Still, they remain optimistic that as pieces return over the next two months, there will be enough time for the relievers they’re counting on to round into shape and for their pitching staff to help them repeat as champions. After their quiet deadline, there’s no other choice. 'Hopefully, we win the last game of the year, and we can say, 'See, it was a strength,'' Friedman said. 'But time will tell, and we feel good about the quality and depth of arms that we have. Now we have to get 'em back and get 'em healthy, and keep our other guys healthy. But again, feel like this has a very legitimate chance to be the most talented pitching staff we've ever had.' Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.
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