Dodgers Linked to Flamethrower Reliever in Potential Blockbuster Trade

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been heavily linked to Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the crown jewel of this summer's trade deadline.

The Dodgers are one of few teams that have the trade capital to acquire Skubal, and it's certainly a possibility that the two-time Cy Young winner joins the back-to-back World Series champions by August.

LA's starting rotation for the postseason would feature Skubal, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell. It would be a lethal order of superstars, but president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman will surely have a backup plan if the pursuit of Skubal goes sideways.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reports the Dodgers could either get the Tigers ace or bolster their elite bullpen as a safeguard for injured closer Edwin Díaz, who is still expected to return before the playoffs barring any setbacks.

"It ends up one of two places: They get the best pitcher in the world, or they drive up the price for others already struggling to keep up with them. And if the latter is the outcome, using a player or two to get O'Brien as insurance for injured closer Edwin Díaz — and having him be the long-term replacement for Blake Treinen, with a filthy sinker-slider combination — is a worthwhile pivot," Passan writes.

Treinen is in the midst of his age-37 season and has video game movement with his pitches. It's unclear, however, just how much left he has in the tank, and the Dodgers will need to find a replacement for him sooner rather than later.

Passan believes that pitcher is O'Brien.

The St. Louis Cardinals reliever is sporting a 3.68 ERA with 31 strikeouts across 29.1 innings of work this season. O'Brien has a similar mark to Treinen, who could be his predecessor in the Dodgers bullpen.

In 2026, Treinen has posted a 3.72 ERA with 19 strikeouts across 19.1 innings pitched.

The Dodgers are expecting Díaz back sometime after the All-Star break later this summer. Manager Dave Roberts provided an update on the closer last week.

“I think Edwin is certainly ahead of Blake [Snell], obviously, and so he is playing catch,” Roberts said of Díaz. “He’s gone back-to-back a couple different times, stretching it out.

“So I would assume that once he stretches it out more, then there’ll be the flat ground, and then at some point in time, he’ll get on the mound. But he’s progressing really nicely, all positive with Edwin.”

While Díaz will return in 2026, the Dodgers don't know how he will perform once he's back. O'Brien could provide another layer of security for a unit that struggled down the stretch last year.

The Dodgers trading for O'Brien seems completely possible, but don't underestimate LA's ability to bring in another superstar this summer. Skubal is on the trade block and the back-to-back champions are one of a small group of team around the league that have the means to acquire the ace.

But, if the blockbuster trade doesn't work out, the Dodgers may get another flamethrower in the bullpen. O'Brien has a 98.3 average fastball velocity, which ranks in the 95th percentile of MLB.

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