Dodgers GM Has Shocking Response to Upgrading Roster at Trade Deadline

The next trade deadline that comes and goes without Dodger fans clamoring for the front office to make a blockbuster trade will be the first.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes are perpetually under pressure to improve the roster. They did their best to avoid needing to make a splash before the July 31 deadline last winter, going on a free agent spending spree that pushed the team's payroll obligations north of $341 million, per Spotrac.

It didn't work. Relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates have underperformed when healthy. Pitcher Roki Sasaki, though not a payroll bust, was 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA in eight starts before a shoulder injury sent him to the IL in May. For $17 million, left fielder Michael Conforto has given the Dodgers a .186 batting average — the lowest among all qualified hitters.

Despite these and other roster flaws, Gomes sees something special in the 2025 Dodgers. How special?

"This group is really talented," Gomes said, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, "and I would argue it’s better than the team that won the World Series last year.”

The numbers might disagree.

The vaunted one-through-three combination of former MVPs Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are not producing offensively to the same level as they did last year. The emergence of Andy Pages as an offensive and defensive force, and a career year from catcher Will Smith, have helped keep the Dodgers' lineup afloat.

Mostly, Gomes' comment is shocking in light of the injuries to his team's pitching staff.

Only one team has given the ball to more mound men this season as the Dodgers. Other than Yoshinobu Yamamoto, their starters have been frequently inconsistent and infrequently healthy. Only one of their right-handed relievers with at least 10 appearances through Wednesday has an ERA under 4.00: Lou Trivino, who was designated for assignment Monday.

The outlines of a talented team are already in the organization. Blake Snell is out on a minor league injury rehab assignment, a sign his long-awaited return is near. Tyler Glasnow has a 2.75 ERA in eight starts, Clayton Kershaw has a 3.27 ERA in 11 starts, and Shohei Ohtani has allowed two runs in six starts while ramping up his workload. Between that talented trio, they have made the Dodgers' rotation healthier and more productive than it has at any point this season.

If Sasaki returns, and Dustin May's 5-2 record in his last 10 starts are no fluke, the Dodgers should have a six-man rotation that sets them up nicely for the postseason. But those are big "if"s, to say nothing of the issues plaguing the bullpen. Gomes acknowledged the obvious shortcomings to Ardaya.

“We’ll see how these next few days come out and what everything looks like, but as of now our stance hasn’t changed on needing to go out and get additional pieces,” he said.

The 2025 Dodgers might be better than their 2024 counterparts when all is said and done. Considering their 7-11 record in July, Dodgers fans can be forgiven for not jumping the gun.