Opening Day has arrived, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are getting ready to celebrate.
After winning their second World Series in five years, the Dodgers enter 2025 looking to establish a dynasty. And they’re in a bit of a peculiar position when it comes to their starting pitching.
Most would agree that the Dodgers have the best starting rotation in all of baseball. It’s so good that Tony Gonsolin, a 2022 National League All-Star, may not have cracked the rotation coming out of spring training had he not suffered a back injury while lifting weights.
At this point, the Dodgers have to decide whether they should keep Gonsolin around or look to move him to a team that needs more starters far more desperately than they do.
On Wednesday, Athlon’s Brook Smith pitched the Chicago Cubs as a hypothetical trade fit for Gonsolin due to their relative inexperience at the back end of the rotation.
“With a bullpen that appears to be full of potential holes, the Cubs need good starting pitchers,” Smith wrote. That’s where the Dodgers come in with Tony Gonsolin. He comes at a cheaper price point at only $5.4 million in 2025. He also comes with another year of team control.
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“And as a plus side for the Cubs, he probably wouldn’t command much from the Dodgers. With his injury history factored in, it seems more than likely that Los Angeles would make the swap to make room for other injured veterans, maybe demanding a decent prospect.”
Gonsolin, 30, owns a career 34-11 record and 3.19 ERA in 375 innings. He was an All-Star in 2022, going a ridiculous 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA. After missing the entire 2024 season, he threw three scoreless innings in spring training prior to the injury.
Obviously, trade fit comes down to what prospects are being exchanged, but for Chicago, Gonsolin is a target worth pursuing, especially if the existing rotation gets off to a slow start.
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