Dodgers Linked to $5.72 Million Starter in Potential Trade Deadline Move

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand listed the Los Angeles Dodgers as a prime landing spot for Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell ahead of the trade deadline.

The Dodgers' pitching crisis is common knowledge, with 13 arms currently sitting on the injured list. They have had 33 players take the mound this year, which leads MLB. Although Shohei Ohtani has returned to pitching in live games, the Dodgers are still in need of pitching replacements to fill the gaps.

Littell will become a free agent after the 2025 season, and is in his third season with the Rays after joining them from the San Francisco Giants in 2023. He currently has an ERA of 3.88, and has kept his ERA with the Rays below 4.00 since joining them. He leads MLB in walks per nine innings with 1.1, and he has a career-low WHIP of 1.112 so far this season.

Littell's struggles come with the long ball, as he has also allowed 22 home runs this season — the most in MLB. His FIP also far exceeds his ERA, sitting at 5.32.

Regardless of his struggles, the Dodgers need a pitcher, as the Dodgers moved Roki Sasaki to the 60-day injured list June 20. Despite their lack of depth in pitching, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has stated repeatedly that he doesn't want to jump the gun.

“I’m still optimistic,” Friedman said. “It requires guys coming back on or close to the timelines that we have penciled out.

“We have shown that, if we’re not in position to do that, we’ll be aggressive to add. But our strong desire is not to.”

With Ohtani's return to pitching the Dodgers received a much-needed boost, but it will remain to be seen whether or not they will need additional help in their rotation. Without a consistent pitching staff this year, they're faring very well in the NL West, leading the second-place San Francisco Giants by 4.5 games.