The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the most talented rosters in all of baseball, and yet, there have been plenty of discussions involving potential trade candidates. Pitcher Bobby Miller is the latest player to get thrown into the MLB trade rumor mill.
Recently, the heavy trade talk centered around White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. In the proposed trade, the Dodgers would send James Outman and another prospect for Robert Jr. Those talks have since been tabled, and Robert Jr. has been struggling mightily so far this year.
While the Dodgers have been decimated with injuries to the pitching staff, as the season wears on, they may actually need to clear space for their bench, and they are still looking for a more suitable starting center fielder.
For this reason, ESPN MLB Insider David Schoenfield suggests the idea that Bobby Miller may indeed be a trade candidate when the MLB Trade Deadline nears.
Could Bobby Miller Be A Trade Candidate For Los Angeles Dodgers
Schoenfield proposes that Miller, along with pitchers Ben Casparius and Justin Wrobleski, could all be viable trade candidates if the Dodgers need to clear some space midseason.
“Since players on the 60-day IL don’t count against the 40-man roster limit, the Dodgers currently have 47 players on the 40-man roster because of all of their injured pitchers,” writes Schoenfield. “Some of those guys are out for the year, so the roster crunch won’t completely happen until the offseason, but when Clayton Kershaw is activated, for example, the Dodgers will have to clear a roster spot (he just made his first rehab appearance in the minors). If they do improve the bench – and they should – that could mean trading someone from the 40-man roster, such as one of the above pitchers, rather than a low-level prospect.”
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Miller contended for the 5th spot in the starting rotation ahead of the season, but ultimately lost the job to Dustin May. He was called up last week, but only lasted three innings against the Colorado Rockies and was sent back down to OKC the next day.
There is still hope that the young pitcher can improve and steady his command, but if the Dodgers need the room, he is certainly a name that could be moved.
There is still plenty of time until the trade deadline, so a lot can happen before then. For now, the Dodgers just need to get healthy and see how this roster really looks when they have everyone available.