Dodgers have to hope Emmet Sheehan’s solid start vs Mets will be enough to sway sellers

After Emmet Sheehan's July 20 start against the Philadelphia Phillies, there was an ominous tone in Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts' voice. The frustrated skipper got about as explicit as someone in his position gets when discussing the young hurler's future.

“It’s not the consistency that any of us like or want, Emmet included. Until there’s another alternative, we’re going to keep running him out there,” Roberts seethed, making it clear that the 26-year-old was skating on thin ice.

However, just as Sheehan looked to be on the outs, he came back with a strong performance against the New York Mets, though it didn't start that way.

The right-hander gave up three straight hits, with New York's leadoff man, AJ Ewing, coming around to score after starting the attack with a double. From there, though, Sheehan would right the ship, tossing five innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts, three hits, and two walks on his ledger.

"I thought Emmet did a nice job. It was a little grindy with the pitch count, but the way he came back in innings three, four and five was fantastic,” Roberts said after the game. “For me, it was going to be hard for him to get through that sixth. We had our bullpen lined up. But as far as Emmet [is concerned], he put us in a position to win."

The question now will be whether or not Sheehan can take that momentum and break through his doldrums to start looking like the electric pitcher he was in 2025.

The Dodgers need to be able to sell other clubs on Emmet Sheehan breaking out as the trade deadline looms

Opinions are split as to what the Dodgers will do at the trade deadline. There are some who believe that it will be a mostly quiet affair, with Los Angeles's prime focus being on rebalancing assets in their farm system. While others believe that the prospect of becoming the first National League team to win three straight World Series titles will have Andrew Friedman going all-in.

If the latter path is what LA truly decides to pursue, then Sheehan will become incredibly important. This is a weird trade market to navigate with very few traditional sellers. Many of the clubs that could sell are not looking for a traditional reset, but rather are looking to retool to come back stronger in 2027 and beyond.

Case in point is the Detroit Tigers, who are once again sliding in the standings but don't want to embrace a full rebuild. If they trade Tarik Skubal, they're going to want a controllable, high-potential starter back. The 2025 version of Sheehan that posted a 2.82 ERA would fit that bill.

Ditto for the Cincinnati Reds, who possess perhaps the best Skubal alternative in the electric but oft-injured Hunter Greene. The Reds are focused on moving their rentals, but could be convinced to part with Greene before his salary begins to escalate in 2027. In order to do so, though, they'd need to get a replacement they can believe in back.

There's a case to be made that Sheehan hasn't been as bad as his numbers indicate. While he has a 4.95 ERA through 19 starts and 92⅔ innings, his xERA of 3.79, xFIP of 4.00, and SIERA of 3.70 all indicate that he's due for some positive regression.

Sheehan also has a solid foundation to work with. He's striking out batters at an above-average clip, 26.3%, while also limiting walks better than most with a 7.3% free pass rate. His 35.1% chase rate is elite, coming in as a 91st percentile performance. He's also well above average in generating whiffs with a 30.4% mark that ranks in the 84th percentile. The biggest issue he has faced has been that when he makes a mistake, it gets blasted over the fence, as his 1.65 HR/9 shows us.

The way the Dodgers' rotation lines up, Sheehan might get one more start before the deadline, as he's slated to take the hill on Saturday, August 1, against the Boston Red Sox. Stringing together another solid performance will make it easier to believe in his peripherals over the subpar results, which in turn could lead to the Dodgers successfully relocating him in exchange for a star.

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