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Dodgers: 3 starting pitchers LAD could target after Clayton Kershaw injury

By Adam Weinrib |
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 29: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks into the dugout prior to a game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 29: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks into the dugout prior to a game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 07: Kyle Gibson #44 of the Texas Rangers pitches against the Detroit Tigers in the top of the first inning at Globe Life Field on July 07, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 07: Kyle Gibson #44 of the Texas Rangers pitches against the Detroit Tigers in the top of the first inning at Globe Life Field on July 07, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

The Los Angeles Dodgers, after opening the 2021 season with the most ballyhooed rotation in modern history, are approaching the trade deadline three months later not just seeking rotation insurance, but desperate for it.

How did we get here?

The Dodgers obviously planned for a few long-term starting pitcher issues (that’s why Tony Gonsolin languished in the bullpen!), but nobody plans for this rash of absences, which span from the typical (Dustin May’s highly unfortunate Tommy John) to the unforeseen, which should keep Trevor Bauer off the field a long time.

And then there’s Clayton Kershaw, the team’s stalwart, who became the latest casualty on Wednesday afternoon.

Kershaw felt pain in his elbow playing catch several days ago, and was placed on the IL this week with “elbow inflammation,” a catch-all that doesn’t tell us much about his potential return date.

Without the greatest lefty in MLB history, without May, with a reduced Gonsolin, without a David Price who can start, and without…well, that whole $35 million waste…the Dodgers still have options here.

Honorable mentions include a promotion of Josiah Gray, which could be coming sooner than any of us anticipated when the year began (again, the rotation was arguably this team’s greatest strength!). The team is taking it slow with their current highest-ranked pitching prospect, though, throwing him two innings in a comeback appearance on July 4 (he’s pitched just 7.0 innings this season).

We’ll also toss in a few names who seem extremely unlikely to join the Dodgers: adios to the Max Scherzer rumors, as the Nationals fancy themselves NL East contenders (and rightly so!), and goodbye to German Marquez, who’ll cost a billion and plays within the division.

When the Dodgers call around for bullpen help, we’d advise them to also drop the names of these starters and see where it gets them.

The Dodgers should consider these 3 starters at the Trade Deadline.

3. Kyle Gibson

Kyle Gibson, the steadiest arm on the market, will be a massive name at this year’s trade deadline, finally putting his boring two-seamers together for a breakout campaign.

Gibson’s posted excellent 190-inning seasons before (3.84 mark in 2015, 3.62 in 2018), and we all knew he could rip off an efficient sequence every so often, but we’ve never seen him like this before. At age 33, the righty’s allowed only 78 hits in 102.0 innings pitched, and has a sterling FIP of 3.47 to match his 6-1, 2.29 mark in more traditional counting stats.

If the Dodgers can get Gibson without giving up a massive haul, they’d be wise to pursue the ground ball machine upgrade. He’s not volatile whatsoever, which will be a boon to a team that’s hit more bumps than expected in 2021 (hey, can he beat the Marlins?).

We’ve targeted the Texas Rangers for quite a while, eyeing everyone from Joey Gallo to former AL saves leader Ian Kennedy. Kennedy would still be a wonderful fit in LA, and perhaps his inclusion will be the way the Dodgers justify an overpay? Bottom line, Los Angeles can use Gibson in a number of ways, and if everything breaks right in the postseason, he could be a multi-inning Alex Wood-style weapon in the ‘pen as the rotation returns to normalcy.

Don’t sell the farm, but maybe add Kennedy while giving away a sweeter package.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 6: Jose Berrios #17 of the Minnesota Twins walks to the dugout after pitching to the Chicago White Sox in the seventh inning of the game at Target Field on July 6, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The White Sox defeated the Twins 4-1. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 6: Jose Berrios #17 of the Minnesota Twins walks to the dugout after pitching to the Chicago White Sox in the seventh inning of the game at Target Field on July 6, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The White Sox defeated the Twins 4-1. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

2. Jose Berrios

What, you thought we were going to say Kenta Maeda?

A reunion would be somewhat adorable, but the Maeda we saw in 2020 has essentially vanished in 2021, and he’d be more of a buy-low candidate than anything else. Last season, it looked like LA had surrendered a future ace (80 whiffs in 66.2 innings, 0.75 WHIP, second place in the Cy Young chase). This year? That WHIP has doubled to 1.452, and the 4.56 FIP doesn’t inspire us.

Jose Berrios is the most attractive Twins starter by a wide margin, and recent buzz indicates he’s more available than ever. Armed with a year and a half of control and a powerful 27-year-old arm, though, he won’t be given away.

Los Angeles is in a great spot to talk Berrios, though. He’s not an ace — which is fine. The Dodgers have Walker Buehler and Kershaw, eventually, to man that territory. If Berrios is a No. 2 or No. 3, that’s fantastic — he has posted nearly the same season every year of his career, featuring a mid-3.00s ERA and just about the same number of strikeouts as innings pitched. As long as the Twins aren’t valuing him as Buehler lite, LA could strike a bargain here.

Gray and Keibert Ruiz would likely be out here, but expect Michael Busch/Kody Hoese/Bobby Miller and Los Angeles’ leaders of their second prospect tier to be on the table. Busch is about to get a well-earned Futures Game showcase — as well as intriguing righty Andre Jackson — and this might shock you, but the Dodgers are probably hoping for a big game on the national stage. Talks begin and end with Busch right now, and LA would like him to have momentum.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JULY 07: Starting pitcher Sonny Gray #54 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the 1st inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on July 07, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JULY 07: Starting pitcher Sonny Gray #54 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the 1st inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on July 07, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

1. Sonny Gray

Nope, not Kyle Hendricks!

Every Dodgers fan should be scoreboard watching to see how far the Cincinnati Reds sink, because we’re not sure anyone is really swarming Sonny Gray at this point, and it would be fun to be first in the water.

Gray recently returned from a groin strain (and missed the beginning of the season with a mid-back strain), but when he’s been available, he’s been the same Gray that every non-Yankees fan base he’s ever pitched for has loved to watch. His 2019 (aka the season he got out of the Bronx) was the stuff of legends; Gray dominated the central, whiffing 205 in 175.1 innings, earning a seventh-place Cy Young finish. He hasn’t been quite the same since (but who was in 2020?), posting ERAs of 3.70 and 3.19 in limited sample sizes since.

Now, the last time Gray was dealt midseason to a contender, he struggled to find his footing, though things were not as bad as angry Yankee fans would like you to believe. The wheels fell off in 2018 to the tune of a 4.90 ERA, but in 2017, Gray ended up with a 3.72 ERA and threw a five-inning, one-hit start against the Houston Astros in the ALCS. Not wonderful, not the unmitigated tragedy that the Bronx would have you believe.

Larry Rothschild’s in San Diego anyway, Sonny. He can’t hurt you.

There hasn’t been much Gray buzz whatsoever, and right now, the Reds sit firmly in the middle of the conversation at 45-41. Over the next few weeks, though, they’ll learn their destiny. On Thursday, they head to Milwaukee for four games, then welcome the Crew for three right after the break. Then it’s the Mets, then it’s the Cardinals. Big four-game road set followed by a crucial nine-game homestand.

At the end of that mess, the Dodgers might be ready to buzz their phones and get Sonny.

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