Dodgers Scouting Mets Starting Pitcher as Trade Deadline Nears

The Dodgers' trade deadline plans are coming into focus. Considering the deadline is days away, it's about time.

Shohei Ohtani hasn't pitched in a game since July 3 and isn't preparing to do so anytime soon. Tuesday night, Ohtani revealed he's dealing with both a knee injury and biceps issue.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Dodgers are "likely" the favorites to acquire starting pitcher Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers if they are to bid on him at all. The Tigers lost to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, in what might have been Skubal's final start in Detroit.

If that's the case, the Dodgers aren't the only team that will be interested in Skubal, the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner. That necessitates a Plan B.

To that end, The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Dodgers were among seven teams scouting New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes' last minor league rehabilitation start Tuesday. The New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks were the others.

Holmes has been sidelined since May, when he suffered a right fibula fracture. Prior to that injury, he was 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts.

In 2025, his first full season as a starting pitcher in a nine-year MLB career, Holmes went 12-8 with a 3.53 ERA in 33 games (31 starts) across 165.2 innings.

Between the fact that he hasn't pitched much this season, and their own starting rotation needs, the Dodgers might see Holmes as a reliable fallback option in case Skubal is traded elsewhere.

Are the Dodgers interested in Clay Holmes?

As Rosenthal points out, the Dodgers can't feel great about the shape of their own starting rotation — particularly in light of Ohtani's injury. The right-hander was 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA before injuries limited him to hitting duties.

Not only does his absence create a need at the top of the Dodgers' rotation, there are legitimate questions about what to expect from left-hander Blake Snell and right-hander Tyler Glasnow if and when they return from their own lengthy IL stints.

Snell and Glasnow also missed time last season before returning in time to be invaluable postseason contributors en route to the Dodgers' second consecutive World Series title.

This season, Glasnow was 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA in seven starts before he developed back spasms in May. Snell made only one start before he was diagnosed with loose bodies in his elbow and underwent surgery, but has two Cy Young Awards on his resume.

Both should be fine. But the Dodgers should be interested in Holmes as a Plan B for Skubal, for a rotation that is without Ohtani now and for the foreseeable future.

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