Dodgers come out of Deadline with bolstered rotation, catching depth

CHICAGO -- The Dodgers made the biggest splash of the Trade Deadline two days before the market closed for the season, swinging a blockbuster deal to acquire two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Tigers.

The trio of trades the Dodgers made before Monday's 10-5 loss to the Cubs were much more minor in nature, but could still have interesting ripple effects as the back-to-back champions' title defense intensifies. Here's a breakdown of what L.A.'s Deadline day activity means for the team:

Call, Lauer remain in Dodger blue
Let's begin with some trades the Dodgers did not make. Leading up to the Deadline, it seemed likely that they could sell off some pieces who became superfluous as the team got healthier -- namely outfielder Alex Call and left-hander Eric Lauer. Ultimately, neither was dealt.

Hanging onto Lauer, in particular, helped the Dodgers make another move on Monday: optioning right-hander Emmet Sheehan, who has struggled for much of the season, to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Sheehan posted a 5.29 ERA through 20 starts, but his spot in the rotation was not at risk up to this point because the Dodgers' starting-pitching depth was stretched to the limit with injuries to Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani.

Lauer had been poised to shift to long relief with Skubal in the fold, and is likely to move to the 'pen once Snell returns from the injured list next week, but he'll start against the Cubs on Wednesday. His versatility allowed the Dodgers to take action with Sheehan -- and it doesn't hurt that L.A. has gone undefeated in his nine outings.

"It's incredibly helpful to make sure that we are balancing regular-season wins -- obviously being the most important to win the division and get a bye -- while also making sure we're doing everything we can to maintain health and give guys proper rest whenever we can," general manager Brandon Gomes said. "I think with the way a lot of these guys are throwing, we have the ability to do that and make sure that we're not redlining anybody right now and line things up for what we hope is a deep October run."

Buying low on an injured arm with upside
After the Skubal deal was done, the Dodgers felt no need to make another big addition to their pitching staff. But they did take a rehabbing pitcher who was an All-Star last year, acquiring left-hander Kris Bubic from the Royals.

TRADE DETAILS
Dodgers receive: LHP Kris Bubic
Royals receive: RHP Carlos Duran

Bubic is currently on the 60-day injured list. He began the season in the Royals' rotation, recording a 4.11 ERA through nine starts, before being sidelined with an injury to his left forearm. He sustained soreness in his left shoulder after one rehab start, but was able to go back out on rehab again a couple of weeks later. That second rehab stint was also cut short due to a setback.

By the time the Deadline rolled around, Bubic had progressed to throwing bullpen sessions. The Dodgers will look to build him up as a reliever, a role in which he excelled in 2024, posting a 2.67 ERA in 27 appearances.

Injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2023 and a season-ending rotator cuff strain in '25, have limited Bubic in the past several years. He is set to become a free agent after this season.

"Biggest thing with Kris is we know what he's capable of," Gomes said. "He's been an All-Star and able to be a dominant force both out of the 'pen and as a starter. … Our plan right now is to run him out as a reliever and just get him healthy and try to get him back to that version prior to this year, get him fully healthy."

Old friends behind the plate
The Dodgers' need for a catcher became much more pronounced when Dalton Rushing was scratched from Sunday's game and subsequently landed on the IL with right elbow irritation on Monday -- especially because the second-year backstop was already filling in for Will Smith, who has missed nearly two months and counting with an inflamed disc in his neck.

So the Dodgers reunited with a pair of familiar faces behind the plate, acquiring Ben Rortvedt from the Mets and Hunter Feduccia from the Rays. Rortvedt appears poised to make the bulk of starts at catcher once he joins the team at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, and Feduccia will likely slot in as his backup.

TRADE DETAILS
Dodgers receive: C Ben Rortvedt
Mets receive: RHP Chayce McDermott
Dodgers receive: C Hunter Feduccia and Minor League RHP Jacob Kmatz
Rays receive: Minor League OF Jack Suwinski and international bonus pool money

Both Rortvedt and Feduccia spent time in the organization last year, when the Dodgers acquired Rortvedt in the same three-team trade in which they sent Feduccia to the Rays ahead of the 2025 Deadline. L.A. is hopeful that the familiarity will help the team navigate the loss of the top two catchers on its depth chart.