Dodgers GM Explains Why LA Didn't Trade Eric Lauer, Alex Call

For weeks leading up to the trade deadline, rumors were flying around the Los Angeles Dodgers about the team moving on from players to open more playing time.

The names mentioned from the big league club were starting pitcher Eric Lauer and outfielder Alex Call, both of whom were expected to be moved. However, with the trade deadline now passed, they both remain in Los Angeles.

The reason why the Dodgers didn't end up moving Call or Lauer remains a mystery. Both players made it very clear ahead of the deadline that they didn't want to be moved, hoping to remain in Los Angeles.

General manager Brandon Gomes tried to give as much of an explanation as possible.

“Rumors are rumors,” Gomes said to reporters after the deadline. “We feel great about both of those guys and what they can contribute, what they have done and what they will do moving forward. So yeah, I think we’ll leave it at that.”

It was especially interesting the Dodgers didn't move Lauer after landing multiple other pitchers before the deadline. Los Angeles acquired ace Tarik Skubal in a blockbuster trade with the Detroit Tigers, while also getting left-hander Kris Bubic from the Kansas City Royals.

For what it's worth, Bubic is currently on the 60-day injured list, and maybe the Dodgers felt more comfortable having Lauer as an insurance option.

However, Blake Snell is returning to the rotation next week and Tyler Glasnow is a few weeks behind him. This would seemingly push Lauer into the bullpen, which was also the plan before the team optioned right-handed pitcher Emmet Sheehan.

What are Alex Call and Eric Lauer's Role Moving Forward?

Call will continue to platoon in the outfield for the Dodgers, getting reps whenever the team chooses to sit guys due to rest. The right-handed hitting outfielder has slashed .246/.352/.320 with one home run and 16 RBIs this season.

The Dodgers value Call as a depth piece, but with all the right-handed hitters on the roster, he may not get a ton of playing time. Call is still under contract for three more seasons, and could be moved in the offseason.

As for Lauer, he will be a free agent at the end of the year. However, the left-hander has thrived since coming to Los Angeles in a trade earlier this season, even with a rough showing on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs.

Before Wednesday's game, the Dodgers were 9-0 when Lauer pitched this year and he had a 2.96 ERA over 51.2 innings.

After his first blow-up outing in which he allowed six runs on 11 hits over four innings, his ERA with the Dodgers sits at 3.72.

For what it's worth, both players were excited to still be in Los Angeles past the deadline.

“I expressed to them that I wanted to be a Dodger. So, I think they took that to heart," Lauer said to the California Post regarding his conversations with the front office leading up to the deadline.

“I think it’s very rare. I’ve never been given this option. I’ve never been told this much about what was going on. So, it’s just another testament to the communication here. It’s top of the line, really.”

As for Call?

“There’s an argument to be made for playing somewhere else and maybe playing more,” he said to the Post. “But the way I look at it is, I am tremendously blessed to be here, to be in the major leagues, and to be on the best team ever. The grass isn’t always greener. And, I do have a tough role, but I like tough things. And to be champions, you need everybody to do their part."

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