Last season the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Jesse Chavez, Josh Fields and Rich Hill prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. The moves hardly came as a surprise, considering president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s emphasis on assembling plenty of pitching depth.
Fields and Hill remain with the Dodgers, with the former having contributed more in 2017 than the latter thus far. Nonetheless, statistics have Los Angeles as boasting one of the better pitching staffs in the Majors.
However, there are holes and concerns, primarily with durability. The Dodgers figure to be one of the more active teams at the trade deadline.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, their focus will be on improving the pitching staff:
However, executives around the game expect Los Angeles to pursue pitching upgrades — starters and relievers — before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline.
A previous report indicated the Dodgers view a left-handed reliever as more of a priority to a starting pitcher. In addition to pitching, some believe the club may pursue a right-handed bat that’s eluded them within the past year.
While the Dodgers figure to be involved in multiple trade conversations of varying degrees of seriousness and probability, the club is unlikely to part with any of the organization’s top prospects.
Friedman has included Jharel Cotton, Frankie Montas and Jose Peraza in trades over the past two years, but has otherwise avoided parting with any notable Minor Leaguers.
