The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to be active at MLB’s trade deadline, which is just eight days away. After receiving bad news that southpaw Tanner Scott is being sent to the injured list with elbow inflammation, Los Angeles is now searching for a replacement. Andrew Friedman has already made it clear that the front office’s number one priority is addressing the bullpen, and that was before the Scott news.
Before Scott got injured, the Dodgers’ bullpen had already seen its fair share of players go down, like Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen, and Evan Phillips. On top of that, their two big reliever additions last offseason, Kirby Yates and Scott, have been underperforming.
Dodgers Should Inquire About Dylan Lee
The Atlanta Braves’ season has not gone according to their preseason plan, and as they’re not contenders, now is a good time to pull off a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for one of their better relievers, lefty Dylan Lee. The Dodgers certainly are a club that will jump on the opportunity to grab Lee for their October run. Lee has pretty much moved into the closer role for the Braves, and he’s had a stellar 2025 campaign, and would be a great option to try and close games out for the Dodgers as Scott’s replacement.
Lee has an ERA of 2.68 over 43.2 innings and 46 strikeouts this season. He has a few arbitration seasons ahead of him, but is a relatively cheap bullpen option. There have been rumors that the Braves are making some of their bullpen pieces available, and although Lee’s name hasn’t popped up like other players, Raisel Iglesias and Pierce Johnson, he’s more polished, at least this season, than the other two.
If the Dodgers have hopes of repeating as World Series Champions, they will have to make additions to their pitching staff. No matter how good the rotation may be heading into October, the bullpen is getting thin, and there are fewer and fewer dependable arms to go to close things out. Lee isn’t just a one-year wonder either. In 2024, he boasted a 2.11 ERA over 59.2 innings with 76 strikeouts. The Braves should certainly at least listen to offers on the 30-year-old southpaw who is becoming one of the better lefty relievers in baseball.
What Would Lee Cost the Dodgers?
As the Atlanta Braves deal with struggles this season, some of the biggest things they need are prospects to help build their farm system and young arms that can eat up big league innings.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have a plethora of both, could offer either starter Emmett Sheehan or shortstop prospect Alex Freeland. Freeland is on the verge of being MLB-ready and is from the Atlanta area. Sheehan has already seen big league innings this year and could learn under the umbrella of some of the Braves’ veteran starters, while also finishing off the rest of the season in the Braves’ rotation. Unfortunately for Sheehan, when Blake Snell returns, there won’t be any room for him in the Dodgers’ rotation headed towards the playoffs.
For the Braves, there’s no reason to hold onto a guy like Lee if you can get a quality return for him this trade deadline.
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