The Los Angeles Dodgers are never shy about upgrading their roster, and at this season's trade deadline, they were once again power players.
Despite spending over a billion dollars this past offseason, the Dodgers continued to stockpile talent, acquiring Jack Flaherty, Tommy Edman, Amed Rosario, Michael Kopech, and Kevin Kiermaier.
However, despite their spending spree, the Dodgers continued to struggle in the dog days of summer, dropping both games this week against the San Diego Padres. The Padres now sit just 4.5 games back in the National League West, with the Arizona Diamondbacks five back.
For the first time in a long time, the Dodgers don't feel like a slam dunk to win their own division. And one insider believes there is a clear weakness standing in their way.
Juan Toribio, the Dodgers beat reporter for MLB.com, said that even in the wake of the Flaherty trade, the Dodgers' starting rotation is still the "biggest question" for the team moving forward.
"There are still some questions surrounding Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, and Bobby Miller, and Tyler Glasnow is blowing past his career high in innings," Toribio said.
Toribio didn't mention Clayton Kershaw, but at this point, one has to factor him into the "question mark" category as well.
In his second start of the season on Wednesday, Kershaw surrendered seven runs to the Padres while failing to record a strikeout for the first time in his regular-season career. The 36-year-old is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but the Dodgers need him to stay a factor in 2024.
The Dodgers nearly have a full All-Star starting staff on the injured list. In addition to Yamamoto and Buehler, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May both will not throw a pitch for L.A. in 2024.
The addition of Flaherty is certain to boost the Dodgers' starting staff in some way, even if the veteran only becomes an innings-eater. But with so many injuries affecting the Dodgers' season, having a stable, top-tier starter, like Flaherty was in Detroit, would be massive.
Flaherty's first start with the Dodgers will come on Saturday in Oakland. The Dodgers will send Gavin Stone to the hill on Friday night as they look to regain some ground on the surging Padres and D-Backs.
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