Dodgers: Andrew Friedman Dismisses Trade for Starter Amid Injury Woes

Relief for an injury-ravaged Dodgers rotation will have to come from within, at least for now.

Injuries have been been a major storyline all season long across the game of baseball, and the Dodgers have not been able to hide from it themselves. It was always a concern with a lockout-shortened Spring Training, but the number of significant injuries the sport has seen in its first few months has been concerning to say the least. 

Los Angeles has already seen most of its starting five hit the IL for stretches, and Walker Buehler can now be added to that list after sustaining an elbow injury over the weekend against the Giants. 

The injury leaves the Dodgers without their ace, and it leaves fans wondering where to look for reinforcements. This team does not shy away from making big trades when needed, but it appears that team President Andrew Friedman does not want to overreact and pull the trigger on a move with so much time left before the August 2nd trade deadline. In a conversation with the OC Register’s Bill Plunkett, Friedman discussed his approach to filling the void left behind by Buehler.

“We’ll dust that off when trade season really kicks into effect,” Friedman said. “We’ll get a nice boost when Heaney returns soon and we’ll continue to assess our internal options and begin to layer on external ones to see what makes sense.”

Getting Andrew Heaney back in the rotation will be a huge boost for the Dodgers, as he had 16 strikeouts and gave up zero runs in his only two starts this year before hitting the injured list back in April. Some relief will also come from the minor leagues, almost definitely in the form of Mitch White, who has already logged some important innings for the team this season. 

Buehler will be down for approximately 6-8 weeks, which would set him up for a late season return in hopes of a strong playoff push. Giving him some rest may actually be a blessing in disguise after his enormous workload in 2021. A healthy Walker Buehler is the main priority, and the Dodgers have the players to hold down the fort until he gets there.