The Entire Tyler Glasnow Move Might Backfire On The Dodgers

This offseason, one of the Dodgers’ priorities was to upgrade their starting rotation. Recently, Los Angeles traded the Tampa Bay Rays for ace Tyler Glasnow. The Dodgers would also acquire Manuel Margot from the Rays in the same deal. Tampa would acquire two top prospects from Los Angeles. Glasnow would also sign a five-year $135 million extension to keep him in Los Angeles long-term. While this trade fills a need for Los Angeles, it’s not without risk due to Glasnow’s lengthy injury history. The Dodgers themselves have seen their rotation be heavily hampered by injuries. If Glasnow struggles to stay healthy, then the Dodgers could regret this move altogether.

The Dodgers Rotation Needed Reinforcements

The Dodgers starting rotation was hampered by injuries during the 2023. Key starters like Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and Walker Buehler were all lost for the season due to various injuries. All three pitchers both had Tommy John surgery. This is the second time Buehler has had the surgery but he is expected to be ready by spring training, May won’t be able to return until mid-July, and it’s unclear whether Gonsolin will be ready for the 2024 season. Given the rash of injuries and the team opting to let Julio Urias and Clayton Kershaw become free agents, the Dodgers had to prioritize improving their rotation.

The Dodgers Trade For Tyler Glasnow And Extend Him

During the offseason, it was a foregone conclusion that the Rays were putting ace pitcher Tyler Glasnow on the trading block. This came despite Rays baseball operation boss Erik Neander saying that bringing back mostly the same team in 2024 was possible. However, given his lengthy injury history, only having one year and $25 million remaining on his contract, and the Rays being unable to re-sign him, it made sense for them to move him.

After talking to many teams, the Rays were finally able to strike a deal with the Dodgers for Tyler Glasnow. The Rays would trade him along with Manuel Margot to the Dodgers for top prospects Ryan Pepiot and Jonny Deluca. This deal came on the heels of the Dodgers signing of megastar Shohei Ohtani. Not long after acquiring Glasnow, they were able to ink him to a five-year $35 million extension.

This Is A Very Risky For The Dodgers

While the Dodgers are getting a bonified ace pitcher, signing him to a long-term deal is very risky. Glasnow has suffered various injuries throughout his career. He is just two seasons removed from having Tommy John surgery. Last year, an oblique injury forced Glasnow to miss the first month of the season. Due to his durability issues, Tyler Glasnow has only pitched in 100 or more innings twice in his career. Last year was the first time he was able to pitch in 120 total innings. He also set a career-high for starts with 21. Also, the Tampa Bay Rays have become a team where pitchers frequently suffer major injuries with Glasnow being no exception. Sometimes those players experience a decline in performance after recovering.

If Glasnow Can’t Stay Healthy The Dodgers Will Regret This Trade

When healthy, Tyler Glasnow is an all-star caliber pitcher who can lead a team to a successful season. However, throughout his career, Glasnow has struggled to stay healthy. He was never able to have an injury-free season in six years with the Rays. Given the current injury problems plaguing the Dodgers rotation, they can’t afford to have Glasnow’s durability issues be a recurring theme like they were in Tampa. The gap between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks has become much smaller. If Glasnow’s injury problems follow him to Los Angeles, then the Dodgers are going to regret this move.

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