Dodgers notes: Justin Verlander, Eduardo Rodriguez, Dave Roberts

The trade deadline is inching closer within the coming hours, and the Dodgers have already managed to haul in four players through three deals to bolster their roster. The Dodgers amped their rotation by bringing in Lance Lynn— set to make his team debut tonight— though the team still has their sights on acquiring a front-end starter.

The Dodgers have talked to the Mets about Justin Verlander, writes Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Verlander is the Dodgers’ Plan A, reports Harris, with Eduardo Rodriguez of the Tigers Plan B:

“If Verlander falls through, Rodríguez could provide another opportunity for the Dodgers to explore. As of Monday afternoon, the team had maintained interest in him, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation.”

Bob Nightengale of USA Today also reported the Dodgers’ interest in Verlander, as did Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic.

The Astros, where Verlander pitched from 2017-22, are also in the mix for the Mets right-hander, says Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic.

Verlander has shown signs of regression in his age-40 season and missed the first month of the season due to injury. The right-hander carries a 3.15 ERA, a 131 ERA+, and a 2.1 bWAR in 16 games started.

Rodriguez in his second year with Detroit has been a true ace for the team when healthy, pitching to a 2.95 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 3.18 FIP, and a 148 ERA+ in 15 games started. The Dodgers could benefit from an additional southpaw in the rotation, with Clayton Kershaw still on the injured list and Julio Urías struggling with an ERA at almost 5.00.

Links

• Dave Roberts has witnessed numerous deadline deals made during his tenure as manager for the Dodgers, but he was also involved in one of the best deadline trades in baseball history. Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times writes about Dave Roberts’ initial reaction to being traded from the Dodgers in 2004 and him drawing comparisons to today’s Dodgers team and the squad from 19 years ago.
• Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register breaks down the awful month of July that the Dodgers rotation experienced, expressing the concerning need for the additions of reliable starting pitching.
• J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register writes on Dodgers’ minor league catcher Hamlet Marte and the journey he had from being a bullpen catcher in the big leagues to subsequently being an emergency relief pitcher in the minors.