Dave Roberts Makes Surprising Trade Deadline Prediction for Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are clearly all-in on pursuing their third consecutive World Series title, as many expect their front office to pursue a major acquisition by the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

The Dodgers are one of, if not, the most complete team in baseball, with an MLB-best record and run differential to prove it.

On the surface, it wouldn't appear that the Dodgers need to make any aggressive moves at the deadline. Additionally, the Dodgers front office, which is known for its major offseason moves in free agency, has a recent history of making small, margin-improving transactions at the deadline instead of sending away many of their top prospects for a superstar.

Health could get in the way of the Dodgers and a quiet trade deadline, as injuries to starting catcher Will Smith and starting pitchers Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani have made those positions relatively thin.

Dalton Rushing has been above-average behind the plate as he continues to take over for the injured Smith, although his defense and pitcher communication is in need of serious improvement by the postseason.

Snell and Glasnow are making serious progress and should be healthy in time to make an impact in the playoffs — perhaps enough to prevent the Dodgers from taking a big swing at the deadline at a star like Detroit's Tarik Skubal. Ohtani, who has been indefinitely removed from the starting rotation, is another question.

Despite the team's potential needs at catcher and starting pitcher, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts surprised reporters with his answer when asked about their mentality approaching the deadline.

“I could almost argue that we’re sellers more than buyers,” Roberts told The California Post. “Personally, I don’t see any glaring needs. ... I really don’t.”

Roberts added that the team's expectation is that Smith, who was placed on the 60-day injured list on Tuesday, will return for the postseason. If he's not available, Roberts said the team feels "good with Dalton."

With Snell and Glasnow on the mend and Edwin Diaz's return almost here, Roberts compared getting back a litany of healthy stars to being productive at the deadline.

“You talk about all the guys that we’re going to have coming back in the next few weeks, those are huge trade-deadline acquisitions,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers have time, although it's dwindling, to assess their injured stars and decide how they want to approach an all-important trade deadline. Because, as Roberts noted, waiting on a player to get healthy is a gamble.

“There are certainties and there are uncertainties, and you have to make a bet,” Roberts said. “I do know that the deadline is Aug. 3. So we have time to get as much information, you see what you got at that point in time, and then you have to make a decision.”

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