Dodgers Rumors: LA Among Landing Spots for Top Starting Pitcher on Trade Market

He would be a huge addition to the Dodgers' rotation.

Entering this offseason, the Dodgers desperately needed to make a move in the starting rotation. Between Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May, they were putting their trust in three injury-prone players to carry the load.

That's why, it made a ton of sense with they went out and added RHP Noah Syndergaard on a one-year deal. If he can get back to being 'Thor,' he could end up looking like a steal at $13 million.

However, the Dodgers may still want to add one more arm into the rotation. Syndergaard, like the other three starters, has a lengthy injury history of his own, and it almost feels like a guarantee they all spend some time on the injured list this season. The Dodgers could definitely benefit from adding another reliable starter, unless they have a lot of faith in Ryan Pepiot and Michael Grove to make spot starts throughout the year.

Still, a six-man rotation could be a good way to limit some of the injury risk, which is why it makes a lot of sense that Bleacher Report picked the Dodgers among the top landing spots for RHP Pablo Lopez.

"López would provide the Dodgers with some depth and a potential safety net for a staff that, while elite, has some health concerns.

"Keep in mind, he was a Dodgers target at the trade deadline last year but the two teams couldn't agree a deal with the Marlins asking for a big return, per

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com

."

Lopez has had a very solid start to his young career. The 26-year-old has a 3.94 career ERA, but has been one of the more consistent pitchers in baseball over the last three seasons. After struggling over the first two years of his career, Lopez has a 3.52 ERA with 348 strikeouts in 340 innings pitched since 2020.

Last year, Lopez had a 3.75 ERA in a career-best 180 innings, proving that he can provide a ton of length in the Dodgers' lineup that lost its top 2022 innings-thrower in Tyler Anderson this offseason.

Lopez will by no means be cheap. Baseball Trade Values has his value at 38.7 — for reference, Dustin May is valued at 36. So it'll definitely take some top prospects from the Dodgers to pry Lopez from the Marlins. But he's someone that they've shown interest in before, and is under contract through 2025. He would definitely make a lot of sense if the Dodgers wanted to add another starting pitcher.