Dodgers: Three Dodgers Who Could be Gone by October

The Dodgers are rolling along collecting W’s to begin their 2019 campaign.  They will turn their attention to the postseason come late July and look to acquire some upgrades to boost their chances of winning that elusive World Series.

Like a horse rocketed out of the gates and off to a healthy lead, the 2019 Dodgers have gotten off to a quick start for once at 8-3.  Known for their slow starts and more descriptive their slow Aprils, the Dodgers have finally gotten off to a hot start.  Their explosive offense has hidden most of their flaws and if it weren’t for two blown leads the Dodgers would be sizzling even more.

While the Dodgers will make a run at one of the best records in baseball, like any team they will look to bolster their roster around July to give themselves another crack at winning the World Series.  With those upgrades come players who will need to be moved in order to make room for those additions.  Here are three players who could be gone from the Dodgers by the end of the season.

Yimi Garcia

This is more of an obvious one as Yimi is expected to be designated for assignment as soon as Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill return, forcing Ross Stripling and Julio Urias to the bullpen.  The plan may be a bit altered now, depending on how long Hyun-Jin Ryu is out after his latest groin injury, but this move is inevitable.

Yimi has always had good stuff, including a mid 90’s fastball with good run on it but after his first Tommy John surgery, he has struggled to stay healthy and never quite put it all together since then.  I really hoped that Garcia would have a Pedro Baez type bounceback but it feels like that is a remote possibility at this stage.

With too many big league starting pitchers, and several going to the pen when the rotation is fully healthy, Yimi’s days as a Dodger could be numbered.  When he goes through waivers there is a chance he sneaks through but it wouldn’t be surprising if another team takes a chance on him.  Plus the Dodgers’ have some up and coming relievers in the minors like Stetson Allie.

Ross Striping

This one might cause me to take a little heat, but the Dodgers are stacked with starting pitching both at the Majors and in the minor leagues, so at some point, they will need to clear out some of that stockpile.  Stripling has been good in spurts but as a starting pitcher, he has yet to put together a solid full season given his limited opportunities.

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Chicken Strip will be thirty years old in November and he is a back end of the rotation starter with the ability to eat innings.  The Dodgers have many good young pitchers coming up like Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, plus they will have Julio Urias and Caleb Ferguson in their bullpen soon.  Both Ferguson and Urias have a higher ceiling than Stripling.

Rather than sending him to the bullpen where his results have been mixed, the Dodgers can cash in Stripling in a trade piece for a midsummer upgrade.  Ross has three years left before free agency so he would be a solid piece for another team in a trade.  For the Dodgers, Stripling is a luxury but one that they won’t have room for in the near future.

By trading him away, the Dodgers would also be doing a good deed for Stripling who can no doubt crack just about any other starting rotation in baseball.  He could be a solid three or four starter on mid-tier teams, but in Los Angeles, he will never be anything more than a fifth starter or long reliever.  Depending what the Dodgers need in July, if they need anything, Stripling is a depth piece that could get a nice return from another club.