{"id":779614,"date":"2026-07-23T09:45:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T09:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/779614\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T09:45:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T09:45:35","slug":"dave-roberts-says-dodgers-will-be-active-at-mlb-trade-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/779614\/","title":{"rendered":"Dave Roberts says Dodgers will be active at MLB trade deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA \u2013 Dave Roberts understood that what he was about to say would sound crazy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He still said it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could almost argue that we\u2019re sellers more than buyers,\u201d Roberts told The California Post.<\/p>\n

Dave Roberts revealed that he views the Dodgers as \u201csellers more than buyers.\u201d JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST<\/p>\n

The Dodgers have a chance to win their third consecutive World Series championship.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re down multiple players.<\/p>\n

They could theoretically strike deals<\/a> before the Aug. 3 trade deadline for players such as Tarik Skubal, Joe Ryan or Mason Miller.<\/p>\n

And Roberts is talking about the Dodgers being sellers?<\/p>\n

\t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDylan Hernandez<\/p>\n

Well, yeah.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I don\u2019t see any glaring needs,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI really don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

The uncertainty that emerged in recent days didn\u2019t change that.<\/p>\n

Not the indefinite break Shohei Ohtani is taking from pitching<\/a>. Not the still-unclear timeline for catcher Will Smith\u2019s return<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur expectation is that Will is going to be back,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Despite the recent run of injuries, Roberts maintains the Dodgers will be just fine finishing out the regular season and should be healthy entering the postseason. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

And if Smith doesn\u2019t come back, the Dodgers are prepared to go into the playoffs with Dalton Rushing as their starting catcher. Rushing has been the Dodgers\u2019 primary backstop over the six-plus weeks Smith has missed with an inflamed disc in his neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, we feel good with Dalton,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Which isn\u2019t to say the Dodgers won\u2019t engage other teams. They could reinforce the periphery of their roster. They could pick up a backup catcher. They could trade for a reliever. Or, maybe, just maybe, they could even find a starting pitcher or catcher at a bargain price they couldn\u2019t refuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re always kicking the tires,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Just don\u2019t expect a big move.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t expect Skubal to walk through the clubhouse doors anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Before the Dodgers opened their three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, Ohtani long-tossed and played catch in the outfield at Citizens Bank Park.<\/p>\n

Just as he did the day before at Yankee Stadium between the two games of a doubleheader.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers currently have the best record in baseball, so they have the option to do nothing if they want. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

While Roberts said he still didn\u2019t know when Ohtani might return to the rotation, he said the two-way player would throw a bullpen session later this week.<\/p>\n

Roberts clarified something about Ohtani\u2019s problematic left knee: Its condition hasn\u2019t worsened. It just hasn\u2019t improved.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause it\u2019s not gotten better, the All-Star break, the Orthovisc shot, not pitching him, all that stuff is trying to give us the best chance for him to be out of the woods entirely,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Ohtani\u2019s absence from the rotation leaves Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the only active member of the playoff rotation last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blake Snell just started pitching in minor-league games on a rehabilitation assignment.<\/p>\n

Tyler Glasnow is throwing bullpen sessions.<\/p>\n

Padres All-Star closer Mason Miller \u2014 who was coached by Roberts in the All-Star game \u2014 could be a potential Los Angeles target if they elect to go that route. Gety Images<\/p>\n

If any of the Big Four can\u2019t pitch in the playoffs for any reason, the Dodgers could replace the unavailable starter with an opener. In that scenario, someone like Justin Wrobleski or Roki Sasaki could pitch the first two or three innings, with the bullpen taking down the remaining innings.<\/p>\n

The bullpen, which has been one of the team\u2019s greatest strengths, is on the verge of reintegrating closer Edwin Diaz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Diaz could return this weekend for a series against his former team, the New York Mets, at his former home stadium, Citi Field.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou talk about all the guys that we\u2019re going to have coming back in the next few weeks, those are huge trade-deadline acquisitions,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

But what if the players they are counting on to return never make it back?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are certainties and there are uncertainties, and you have to make a bet,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI do know that the deadline is Aug. 3. So we have time to get as much information, you see what you got at that point in time, and then you have to make a decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the information the Dodgers have now, the verdict appears to be to stay put.<\/p>\n

Which is what the team planned.<\/p>\n

This season was always expected to be a wait for October, an uneventful spring-training camp leading to an uneventful regular season that included an uneventful trade deadline.<\/p>\n

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