Could Dodgers swing deal for Yankees' perfect game artist at 2023 trade deadline?

If all goes well for the New York Yankees over the next few weeks, they will have a severe rotation crunch to sort out.

Key caveat: Nothing ever "goes well" for the New York Yankees on the injury front. Even still, the Dodgers should be prepared to accept New York's roster overflow, on the oft chance that the Yankees' entire pitching unit stays healthy through the end of July.

Currently, the Yankees' rotation consists of Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, Clarke Schmidt, an empty space occupied by rookies Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez, and Domingo Germán, potentially the most nondescript of the options listed. He also happens to be the only one currently trending after completing the 24th perfect game in MLB history on Wednesday night in Oakland. Baseball's pretty interesting sometimes.

Both Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodón are set to return at some point this summer. Demoting the Brito/Vásquez rotation spot is an easy call, but what has Schmidt done to be exiled to the 'pen? He's on a two-month heater, posting a 1.97 ERA in his past six starts (all somehow losses). While Schmidt is a rookie figuring things out at the big-league level, Germán is a veteran who can sometimes appear electric and sometimes look downright moribund. It's not disrespectful to say he's likely already peaked following a literal perfect game. There's nowhere to go but down, though when his curveball is working, he can be quite effective. Just ask every Dodger other than JD Martinez, who witnessed his mastery first-hand in early June.

The Yankees could get extremely bold in their likely midsummer retool and deal Severino, but if they didn't do so prior to Opening Day knowing full well the righty was leaving New York when the season wrapped, they're probably not going to do it now. So why not pry about Germán while dropping some Severino breadcrumbs along the way?

Dodgers Trade Target: Domingo Germán (or Luis Severino), New York Yankees

The Dodgers can print as many intriguing Double-A prospects as they wish. It still won't be enough to make their starters' ERA respectable if they keep turning to Michael Grove and Noah Syndergaard.

Germán has a sordid past that cannot be ignored. Prior to Wednesday's action, he was best known as the recipient of an 81-game domestic violence suspension, at the time the largest in the league's history for a player who did not face criminal charges. If Germán's actions in 2019 coerce the Dodgers to stay away, that would be understandable. But if the team had pursued an Aroldis Chapman trade at the same time (no longer available, but long-rumored), that would be incongruous.

Germán is a high-variance starter with ace upside. If that wasn't apparent on Sunday Night Baseball, it certainly cleared itself up on Wednesday night. You can never have too much pitching, and surely the Yankees know that. But if they're done riding Germán's roller coaster and want to cash him in at his highest value (and if they've grown to trust Brito/Vásquez), then the Dodgers may be able to pull off a midseason coup here.