Dodgers make questionable trade with Royals for injured 2025 All-Star

The Los Angeles Dodgers are adding an arm, but their latest move comes with considerably more uncertainty than immediate help.

Los Angeles is acquiring left-hander Kris Bubic from the Kansas City Royals for right-hander Carlos Duran, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

Bubic was an All-Star in 2025, but injuries have prevented him from building on that breakthrough. He was already on Kansas City’s 60-day injured list, meaning he will not occupy a spot on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster until he is activated. That gives Los Angeles some valuable flexibility, especially for a front office accustomed to stashing injured pitchers with the hope of unlocking them later.

Bubic is currently working through a throwing progression and projected to return from the IL sometime in August. Still, the Dodgers are acquiring another pitcher who can't immediately contribute to a staff already navigating significant health concerns.

Dodgers' trade for injured Royals pitcher Kris Bubic raises more questions than answers

Bubic has spent his entire seven-year major league career with the Royals, recording a respectable 4.14 ERA over 522 innings. He has struck out 22.1% of the hitters he has faced while producing a strong 45.7% ground-ball rate, giving Los Angeles a potentially useful left-handed starter or multi-inning option if he returns healthy.

His limited 2026 results were similar. The 28-year-old posted a 4.11 ERA across 50 1/3 innings and nine starts before landing on the injured list. His 24.6% strikeout rate represented a slight improvement over his 24.4% mark from last season, but his control regressed significantly.

Bubic walked a career-high 12.6% of opposing hitters, an alarming number for a pitcher whose overall results were already being aided by favorable batted-ball luck. Opponents produced only a .256 batting average on balls in play against him, well below both the league average and his career .309 mark. That suggests his ERA could have looked considerably worse without some fortunate outcomes behind him.

That doesn't mean the trade can't work. The Dodgers have repeatedly targeted talented pitchers whose value has declined because of injury, inconsistency or both. Bubic’s strikeout growth, ground-ball ability and previous All-Star form provide legitimate upside.

But this is still a questionable deadline move if Los Angeles is counting on him for meaningful innings down the stretch. Bubic offers roster flexibility and potential future value, but the Dodgers have acquired more uncertainty than reliability.

For a contender trying to survive October, another injured pitcher feels more like a gamble than a solution.

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