The MLB trade deadline getting ready to heat up closer to the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Dodgers appeared poised to make a big move. In search of another starting pitcher and armed with an abundance outfielders, the Dodgers could easily escalate a solid deal for the back half of the season. However, with injuries running wild, all deals might be tabled for the season.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has been following the Dodgers' trade rumors over the past month as the team considers adding another starting pitcher. He is reporting that right now, if the Dodgers are going to make a deal, it will not be by using an outfielder as a trade piece. Yasiel Puig is too consistent to let go and Matt Kemp appears to have turned his season after getting switched to left field. They cannot afford to trade either player as Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier and top prospect Joc Pederson deal with injuries.
The Dodgers were hoping to get Crawford back into the lineup and healthy with the intentions of trading either him or Ethier, but the outfielder has suffered a setback that will leave him off the field a little while longer. Crawford was making progress from a sprained ankle and looked ready to get off the disabled list. However, manager Don Mattingly is reporting Crawford has suffered a setback and the team is shutting him down temporarily.
"He just quit going forward," Mattingly said, via the Los Angeles Times. "He was going so good, he'd ran and he was hitting. We really thought he was getting close. And then all of a sudden it seemed like he hit a level where he was feeling different things and wasn't able to keep going. I look at it more that he's gotten stuck."
With Crawford continuing to sit on the disabled list, the Dodgers simply cannot afford to trade Ethier or Kemp. Los Angeles was considered players for pitchers like David Price and Jeff Smardzija. With no issues spending money, they looked ready to chase the best arm in order to remain a favorite come World Series time. In order to get one of those pitchers, they would need a convincing trade package and right now the Dodgers do not have that.
