Dodgers need to avoid obvious mistake on trade market this offseason

When the horn sounds to commence the start of the offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers know they will need a healthy mix of free agent signings and trade acquisitions to build the proper contender for 2024. Who might that be? We don't know just yet, but we'd like to suggest someone to avoid.

There's been a lot of chatter about Brewers ace Corbin Burnes hitting the trade market. Approved. He's a Cy Young winner and is coming off another such caliber season. He's been accompanied in those trade talks by an AL counterpart, though, and the Dodgers can't fall for it.

Rays starter Tyler Glasnow is another potential trade candidate because, well, he plays for Tampa Bay, and carries a $25 million salary for 2024 before hitting free agency. In theory, the Rays can afford that, but they might not want to pay up for what Glasnow's offered for five full seasons now.

The towering right-hander has tremendous swing-and-miss stuff, but there's only one problem: he's never healthy! Like, ever! The most starts he's made in a single season was 21 and those just came in 2023.

Dodgers need to avoid obvious mistake on trade market when offseason begins: Tyler Glasnow

Glasnow has made 71 starts with the Rays since arriving at the trade deadline in 2018. That's 13 per year. And we'd give him the benefit of the doubt for the shortened 2020 season if that wasn't his worst stretch of starts as a Ray (4.08 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 11 HR in 57.1 innings).

Additionally, he's not a good postseason pitcher. He has a 5.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 10 career playoff starts dating back to 2019. Only one of those was a quality outing. Do the Dodgers need another liability in October? Even if it's only on a one-year deal that helps them maintain financial flexibility?

Glasnow is entering his age-30 season. He is what he is. He's been a bit of a mirage because the greater baseball community talks him up, but he has very little on his resume to back it up.

If the Dodgers want to take a risk on Glasnow as their third or fourth pitching acquisition, then so be it. That's what they're built to do: acquire luxury assets like Glasnow, who's a high-risk, high-reward player.

But the way in which they've operated, especially when building a starting pitching staff, suggests they will not do that. So our inclination is that Glasnow needs to be avoided altogether or else he'll somehow end up being the jewel of the Dodgers' offseason when all is said and done. And all of the same exact problems will persist in 2024.