Dodgers likely have pitching verdict after Freddy Peralta, MacKenzie Gore trade returns

The Los Angeles Dodgers are never going to rule out the potential of any move, but it would seem this past week has provided clarity on their search for another starting pitcher. Andrew Friedman suggested that the Dodgers weren't shopping for a starting pitcher to close out the offseason, and the trades of Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore may be proof of that.

The Dodgers were linked to Peralta before he was traded to the New York Mets, but it was a deal that saw New York part with two top prospects. Jett Williams was the key prospect in the trade and is graded as one of the best prospects in all of baseball. Peralta certainly would have been an upgrade for Los Angeles' rotation, but the timing didn't feel right for the Dodgers, whose rotation is overstuffed as it is, to make such a large swing.

Especially since their pitching staff is relatively healthy heading into the season, and the offseason was defined by the signings of Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz.

Peralta wasn't the only ace-caliber pitcher to be moved in the last week. The Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals made, arguably, the most surprising trade of the season when Gore was shipped to the Rangers in exchange for five prospects, including 2025 first-round pick Gavin Fien.

Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore trades may have sealed the Dodgers’ pitching plan

Unlike Peralta, Gore is under control for two more seasons, and that likely speaks to the reason why the Rangers were forced to decimate their farm system to make the trade happen.

There's no question that if the issue were more pressing, the Dodgers could have easily made the trade for Peralta or Gore. That being said, the fact that Los Angeles avoided the bidding likely speaks to the plan they have for the trade deadline.

For as good as Peralta and Gore are, the potential remains that there will be two better starting pitchers available at the deadline in July. Assuming there is no long-term resolution with the Detroit Tigers, Tarik Skubal is going to be on the trade market, and the Dodgers remain in the driver's seat to trade for him. If not Skubal, then the Minnesota Twins making All-Star Joe Ryan available might be a safe bet.

Skubal, of course, is the best pitcher in baseball, and Ryan is an All-Star pitcher under control for two more seasons. In other words, as long as the door remains cracked open for the Dodgers to land one of those two pitchers, they are going to remain patient and wait to strike during the season.