The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Eric Lauer in May from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash after he was designated for assignment.
Well, Lauer has turned out to be an important addition, and the Dodgers are 8-0 in games he pitches in. He has made seven starts and had one outing that went six innings behind an opener. However, the Dodgers may not need him in the rotation much longer. Blake Snell is on a rehab assignment, and the Dodgers have arms if they want to float Lauer as trade bait.
The Dodgers have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski and Blake Snell if they trade Lauer. On top of that, they have Shohei Ohtani, but they are playing it safe with him and his knee injury. Tyler Glasnow is currently on the injured list, but the Dodgers have him as well.
Sheehan has not been great this year, and Sasaki has struggled at times. Sasaki looked great in his last start and may have turned a corner. Trading Lauer would not leave the Dodgers without pitching, but they should really only trade him in one situation.
If the Dodgers can flip Lauer and a couple of prospects for Tarik Skubal, they should do it. Otherwise, Lauer is valuable depth to have in a rotation with a history of injuries. Sure, Snell is coming back, but his injury history is reason to believe there's a chance he gets hurt again. Glasnow's injury history is just as worrisome. There's no telling how the Dodgers will manage Ohtani the rest of the way, so having Lauer to eat innings is a plus.
He has a 3.35 ERA this season and has experience pitching out of the bullpen as well. If everyone is healthy, Lauer could serve as a long relief option for the Dodgers.