Dodgers News: Stan Kasten Unsure If Pitching Will Be Acquired

The Los Angeles Dodgers headed into the 2015 season feeling pretty good about their starting rotation. Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu were back for a third season together, while Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson were looking to provide stability in the back end.

Well, it didn’t take long for that optimism to turn into a harsh reality when Ryu missed the start of the season and eventually needed shoulder surgery that would keep him out all season, and then McCarthy was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery after just two starts. This left the Dodgers in a bit of a predicament that wasn’t solved right away. The team used a few different starting pitchers until right-handers Mike Bolsinger and Carlos Frias took over the fourth and fifth spots.

Bolsinger and Frias have done admirably in their time in the rotation; however, it’s tough to expect any more from them in the coming months. They are a bit inconsistent and have trouble getting deep into games. Many believe that’s why the Dodgers will be looking to buy at the trade deadline, specifically for pitching.

Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten isn’t entirely sure if that will be the case, viaESPN’s Mark Saxon:

“I think we’re flexible. We might add. We might not. I know one thing: We’re all very proud of the depth we’ve assembled in the minor leagues,” team president Stan Kasten said Thursday night. “It’s important that we become that homegrown team and we feel very pleased with the progress we’ve made. We certainly love having them and would love to keep them.”

The depth that Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi have assembled is fine for what it is, depth; however, it’s tough to expect these depth pieces to be able to sustain their success over an entire season. The Dodgers will be looking for at least one more big arm this July, although it’s been made tougher because the second Wild Card has more teams believing they can contend.

With just two weeks until the trade deadline, the Dodgers will definitely be involved in discussions at the least.