Just when the Los Angeles Dodgers and other contenders thought that they had a clear path towards shoring up their bullpen, the Guardians might just have slammed the door shut on two of the most coveted arms on the market.
LA had reportedly been eyeing Cleveland relievers as their prime targets ahead of the deadline. Especially rising star Cade Smith and All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase. And given how shaky the Dodgers’ bullpen has looked lately, it does make complete sense. Cade Smith, in particular, had checked all the boxes—he is young, dominant, and under team control through 2029.
But here is where things kind of get tricky.
Cade Smith entered the game with no outs and the bases loaded.
He struck out the next three batters to escape the jam pic.twitter.com/bBQbrZCbGb
— MLB (@MLB) May 23, 2025
Now, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Guardians have no interest in trading Smith. And they would also only move Clase if they were maybe blown away with an expensive offer. “The Cleveland Guardians have no interest in trading reliever Cade Smith and would have to be overwhelmed by an offer to move closer to Emmanuel Clase,” Nightingale mentioned. This is a hard pivot for Cleveland, which has been seen as a potential seller but is not suddenly holding just three games out of the AL Wild Card.
This is a gut punch for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Because Smith has a 3.02 ERA this season with 65 strikeouts in 44.2 innings. Plus, last year he had an eye-watering 1.91 ERA with 103 Ks. And all of it under a cost-controlled deal that runs through 2029. And LA fans were so hyped, given that ESPN’s Jeff Passan called Smith the perfect trade fit a few days back.
Meanwhile, Clase is still technically available, but it’s a little complicated. He undoubtedly had one of the best reliever seasons in the last decade, where he had a 0.61 ERA and 47 saves. Plus, he is one of the best closers in baseball. Hence, the Guardians most probably want a king’s ransom for him, plus he is also under team control through 2028. For now, it seems with just days left, the Dodgers might need to cross out Cleveland off their shopping list and go for some kind of Plan B. And maybe even Yankees need to accept that Guardians won’t be their saving guardians this time!
Could the Los Angeles Dodgers trade Dustin May?
Maybe Cleveland isn’t the only team facing a tough choice when it comes to this trade season. Because the Dodgers seem just as conflicted. Because just when it looked like Dustin May had found his rhythm, the trade rumors around him were swirling again. All this after making 17 straight starts this season, and May is doing double duty in July. He is piggybacking Shohei Ohtani as the two-way superstar gradually ramps up his pitching.
And while that has helped the Los Angeles Dodgers preserve their bullpen arms, his future role might not be in the rotation at all, in fact. Given that Blake Snell, who is on a rehab assignment, will be making a return soon. So this move might slide May into a full-time relief role. But for Ken Rosenthal, the bold option would be to trade May instead.
This is a surprising twist because while May’s 6-6 record and 4.73 ERA do not scream ace, he has been a reliable innings eater for the Dodgers this season. At 27 years old and heading to free agency, though, his value might be at its peak now, given LA is trying to reinforce a shaky bullpen. But you can’t expect LA to empty out their prospect vault for this, like Dalton Rushing or Alex Freeland. So, May seems like a logical chip for now.
Also, let’s not forget that Andrew Friedman has a knack for the deadline department with years of experience. Most of his trades have aged well, barring maybe Oneil Cruz and Yordan Alvarez, who slipped through the cracks. Plus, did you know that May himself was nearly dealt back in 2018? And for Manny Machado!
So in any case, if LA decides to pull the trigger again, you might bet that they have done their math. Don’t you think?
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