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The Dodgers aren’t finished. Even after pulling off the blockbuster acquisition of Tarik Skubal, the front office is still engaged in active trade discussions as the deadline approaches, per Dodger Blue. The club is described as “still having a number of conversations” — a clear signal that Andrew Friedman and company view the Skubal deal as a foundation, not a finishing touch.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone who has watched how this front office operates. The Skubal trade was the kind of swing-for-the-fences move that reshapes a rotation overnight, but it doesn’t address every need on the roster. We still have Will Smith out for at least another three to four weeks, which leaves a gap behind the plate. The bullpen has been in flux — we just saw Austin Hurt and Brock Mills recalled, Kevin Klein hit the IL, and Cole Irvin DFA’d — and that kind of churn tells you the relief corps could use another reliable arm. The outfield depth picture has been murky too, with prospects getting scratched from minor league lineups and Kiké Hernández only recently returning from the injured list himself.

Skubal was the crown jewel of the deadline market, and the Dodgers grabbed him. That alone made them the clear winners of the trade season. But Friedman has never been the type to land one big fish and call it a summer. He works the margins. He finds the complementary piece that fills a specific role — the setup reliever, the defensive-minded utility player, the controllable arm that slots into the back of the bullpen without fanfare but with real impact. That’s what these remaining conversations are likely about.

The fact that we’re hearing this publicly matters. Front offices don’t leak that they’re “still talking” unless they want trade partners to know the Dodgers are still in the market — and still willing to deal. It keeps leverage fluid. It tells other GMs that if they have a piece that fits, there’s a willing buyer with prospect capital and payroll flexibility.

I think the most likely targets remain pitching depth and catching help. The Dodgers have been connected to Adley Rutschman in recent rumors, and while that would be another jaw-dropping move, even a more modest catching addition would make sense given Smith’s timeline. On the pitching side, another reliever — or even a back-end starter who could provide length out of the bullpen — would give manager Dave Roberts more options in October.

We already have what looks like a historically loaded rotation with Skubal joining Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and the rest of the staff. The lineup, when healthy, is as deep as any in baseball. But “when healthy” is doing a lot of heavy lifting right now, and Friedman clearly knows it. These conversations could lead to another deal before the deadline closes — or they could amount to nothing. But the intent is clear: this team is not coasting into October. They’re building for it, piece by piece.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: August 3, 2026 12:06 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers