The trade deadline has come and gone, and many Dodger fans were expecting the team to make a big move. The Dodgers were heavily linked to left fielder Steven Kwan and closer Emmanuel Clase, a deal that looked promising until Clase was placed on administrative leave as MLB investigates his involvement in a sports betting probe.
Instead of landing a blockbuster trade, the Dodgers made a few smaller moves. They acquired outfielder Alex Call from the Nationals — a strong defender with good plate discipline — and reliever Brock Stewart from the Twins, who’s having a solid year with a 2.38 ERA. In a more surprising twist, the Dodgers traded longtime starter Dustin May to the Red Sox, a move that raised eyebrows given the team’s ongoing pitching struggles.
However, the Dodgers’ real deadline boost may have come internally. Tyler Glasnow returned from injury shortly before the deadline, and both Blake Snell and Max Muncy came back shortly after. More encouragingly, the team’s core players are finally rounding into form.
Post-Deadline Recap: Series by Series
Series vs. Rays (2-1 Win)
The Dodgers traveled to Tampa Bay right after the deadline and took two of three from the Rays.
Game 1: Clayton Kershaw tossed six solid innings with three strikeouts, and Justin Wrobleski shut the door the rest of the way in a 5–0 shutout. Freddie Freeman broke his home run drought (23 games) and now has gone deep in back-to-back games.
Game 2: Blake Snell returned to the mound, giving up three runs over five innings while striking out eight and walking none. Despite his strong outing, the offense couldn’t capitalize — the best chance came in the sixth inning with the bases loaded, but Teoscar Hernández grounded into a double play. The Dodgers lost 4–0.
Game 3: Yoshinobu Yamamoto went 5.2 innings and struck out six in a 3–0 Dodgers win.
Series vs. Cardinals (1-2 Loss)
Game 1: A classic pitchers’ duel. Sonny Gray dominated, allowing just one run on a Freddie Freeman solo homer, striking out eight over seven innings. Tyler Glasnow matched him with seven innings and seven strikeouts but gave up a solo shot to Masyn Winn. The Dodgers lost 3–2.
Game 2: The bats came alive. Betts had three hits, while Muncy and Teoscar each hit two homers. The Dodgers blew out the Cards 12–6.
Game 3: Shohei Ohtani started on the mound and was sharp, striking out eight and allowing just one run over four innings. He also hit a two-run homer in the third for his 1,000th career hit. The Dodgers led 3–1 but collapsed late. A defensive error in the eighth led to two unearned runs, and the Cardinals added one more in the ninth to take the game 5–3.
Series vs. Blue Jays (2-1 Win)
Game 1: A Hall of Fame-worthy matchup between Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw. Betts homered off Scherzer in the fifth, and Kershaw held the Jays to one run over six innings. The Dodgers won 5–1.
Game 2: Snell was dominant, striking out 10 over five shutout innings. Muncy and Ohtani homered as the offense exploded in a 9–1 win.
Game 3: Ohtani and Freeman homered early to give the Dodgers a 3–1 lead. But the Jays battled back, scoring in the sixth and eighth — including homers from Guerrero and Barger — to go up 4–3. In the bottom of the eighth, the Dodgers tied it after closer Jeff Hoffman walked in a run. Clement homered again in the ninth, and after loading the bases with one out, Ohtani struck out and Betts grounded out. The Dodgers lost 5–4.
Concerns Remain
Despite encouraging signs, the Dodgers still have some red flags — particularly when it comes to clutch hitting. The bases-loaded situation in the final game against Toronto highlights an issue that has haunted them in recent postseasons: failing to capitalize in key moments.
While the bullpen has improved with the rotation getting healthier, the team still lacks a consistent late-inning shutdown arm. Ohtani is continuing to build up strength on the mound, and with Glasnow and Snell now back, the rotation finally looks whole.
Offensively, the team is trending upward. In the last 15 games:
- Shohei Ohtani is batting .356 with 5 home runs.
- Freddie Freeman has a .339 average with 4 homers.
- Mookie Betts, whose struggles were well documented, is hitting .310 with a homer over his last 7 games.
Looking Ahead
A blockbuster trade might have helped, especially since several NL rivals made aggressive moves. But the Dodgers’ real hope lies in staying healthy and getting their stars firing at the right time.
If that happens, this team can still make a serious October run.