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Shohei Ohtani's injury isn't the type of news the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans want to hear. According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, Ohtani will be taking a break from pitching and isn’t expected to be back on the mound any time soon. Although, Dave Roberts did say on Monday, that he expects Ohtani to begin throwing off the mound this weekend but gave no specific timetable yet on when he will make his next start for the Dodgers.
The Japanese sensation had been nursing a lingering knee irritation injury, so it appears that it is bad enough that the Dodgers don’t want to risk not having him in the lineup at all if he continues to endure the wear and tear with pitching.
As a result, the Dodgers could be looking for starting pitching help at the trade deadline. However, Los Angeles isn’t likely aiming to make a “big splash” that would harm the club’s depth and projected future, as per Katie Woo of The Athletic
(subscription required). With that in mind, the Toronto Blue Jays may have exactly what the Dodgers need in the aftermath of the Ohtani injury update.
Could the Blue Jays and Dodgers be ideal trade partners once again this year?
If what Woo has indicated is indeed the mindset of the Dodgers, that means they won’t be going for a big-time trade target such as Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers. With Skubal off the table, that makes the next tier of top starting pitching their potential focus. That is where the Blue Jays come into play.
Toronto may not have anyone in the calibre of Skubal on their roster, but they do have two elite front end of the rotation starters in both Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber. Gausman has always been among the league’s best during his time in a Jays uniform. With the ability to consistently post double digits in wins, along with a sub-four ERA (prior to this year), more than 174 quality innings while averaging a strikeout per inning each season, he would be an ideal candidate to slot into and succeed in the Dodgers rotation.
Gausman may be struggling a bit so far in 2026. But heck, if a struggling Eric Lauer with a six-plus ERA with Toronto was able to turn things around and shave his ERA down to three with three wins in six starts since joining Los Angeles, think of how much better Gausman could be in the same scenario.
As for Bieber, there’s no need to mention that he is also one of the top pitchers in the league as a former Cy Young winner. With a career 67-35 record, 3.30 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, along with 1014 strikeouts in 907 total innings over nine seasons in the majors, he certainly fits the perfect mold to be a Dodgers starting pitcher. Also, with Los Angeles having all the patience in waiting for their pitchers to recover from injuries over the years, they will have no problem with having any type of load management for Bieber if he needs it since his return from a long layoff in June to ensure that he would be in his most effective form.
As a result, the Blue Jays and Dodgers could be ideal trade partners again this year, with Toronto likely to get some solid prospects in return for a pitcher on an expiring contract while Los Angeles gets their solution to the rotation at the same time in a potential win-win deal for both.
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This article was originally published on jaysjournal.com as Blue Jays may have exactly what the Dodgers need after Shohei Ohtani injury update.
