Blockbuster Yankees Trade Idea Would Send Dodgers Star Pitcher To New York
The New York Yankees have a massive problem. Their starting rotation is being destroyed with injuries and the front office hasn’t made a move in response just yet.
Gerrit Cole will miss the entire season with an elbow injury while Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt will miss some time with injuries of their own. One potential option the Yankees could explore is slated to begin the year in the minor leagues as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
Former top prospect Bobby Miller could emerge as a potential trade candidate for Los Angeles. The Dodgers have eight to 10 pitchers in their organization ahead of him as options to start for the big league club.
There doesn’t seem to be a clear path back to the starting rotation unless he’s traded. But that doesn’t mean the righty doesn’t have value. In 2023, he was incredible.
The righty made 22 starts and held an ERA of less than 4.00 during his rookie campaign. It seemed as though he was headed directly for superstardom.
But he took a massive step back last season, which leaves his roster spot in question for this season. If the Yankees put together a trade package centered around top prospect Everson Pereira and a few other prospects, they could likely steal the young starter from the Dodgers.
Miller would have a guaranteed spot in the New York starting rotation instead of being a bottom-of-the-barrel option in Los Angeles. This would be huge for the young starter’s career while also boosting the Yankees. It would be expensive to bring him in, but it’s something the Yankees would need to do if they’re serious about trying to bounce back from the Cole injury to contend for the World Series this season.
Clayton Kershaw Jokes He ‘Mooched’ Dodgers for a Trip to Japan
Clayton Kershaw might not have been able to play in the Tokyo Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs this week, but he was still determined to take the trip to Japan with the team.
Kershaw, who underwent foot and knee surgeries in November, is expected to return to play around June, per ESPN. Though he wasn’t able to play in the Tokyo Series on Tuesday and Wednesday, he jokes that he “mooched” off the Dodgers to take part in the trip to Japan.
“I kinda just mooched off the Dodgers to get a trip outta this because I’m not playing or anything,” Kershaw told Sports Central LA. “I wanted to experience this. I wanted to come with Shohei and see what it was all about. It’s been an incredible experience. Obviously the baseball part of it has been so much fun, but having my whole family here, getting to tour around Tokyo, it’s been once in a lifetime.”
Thanks to the trip, Kershaw was additionally able to visit Kyoto, Japan with his family, and able to take part in the special dinner planned by Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. That was certainly not the case for every player that was unable to take part in the Tokyo Series. Dustin May, the fifth starter on the Dodgers’ current rotation, stayed back at Camelback Ranch in Arizona to continue his throwing program ahead of the season since he was not slated to start an exhibition or regular season game in Japan.
Even so, Kershaw has done more than enough for the Dodgers to earn a spot on the trip to Japan. Kershaw is the team’s longest-tenured player, a 10-time All-Star, and two-time World Series champion. He’s one of the greatest Dodgers ever, and a longtime loyal star for the team. He more than deserved his place on the special trip to Tokyo.
