3 Pitchers Linked to Dodgers After Edwin Diaz Injury
But they just absorbed a significant blow.
Star closer Edwin Diaz has been diagnosed with loose bodies in his pitching elbow, an issue that requires surgery and will sideline him for approximately three months.
The concern began after Diaz's most recent outing in Colorado, where he allowed three runs without recording an out and his fastball velocity remained worryingly down.
Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Edwin Díaz will have surgery on Wednesday to remove loose bodies from his elbow. He is expected to return during the second half of the season.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 20, 2026
Diaz becomes the sixth Dodgers reliever to hit the injured list, and he was supposed to be the answer to the bullpen issues that nearly derailed Los Angeles' title defense last season.
The three-year, $69 million contract that brought him to Chavez Ravine over the winter was widely acknowledged as an overpay from the moment it was signed, but it was an overpay the Dodgers were uniquely positioned to absorb.
Now the question is what comes next.
The current depth chart features Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer, Tanner Scott, and Blake Treinen, but none of them inspire the kind of confidence a team needs heading into October.
Three of the club's most trustworthy arms throw left-handed.
As Chris Landers of FanSided wrote, "the No. 1 focus between now and the trade deadline is simple: Find as many high-leverage arms as possible, no matter the cost."
The Three Names Being Floated
Landers proposed three specific trade targets the Dodgers should be pursuing.
The boldest name is Bryan Abreu of the Houston Astros.
Abreu has been brutal in 2026, posting a 14.73 ERA and 12.27 FIP through nine appearances and losing the closer's job in Houston as a result.
But the underlying track record is elite.
Buster Olney listed Bryan Abreu as the player the Astros are most likely trade at the deadline:
— SleeperAstros (@SleeperAstros) April 20, 2026
“Including Abreu here is contingent on the reliever figuring things out. He has been unable to throw strikes -- and when he does, he has given up the long ball, with four home runs… pic.twitter.com/g1uBCxf5pn
From 2022 through 2025, he posted a 2.30 ERA with 396 strikeouts across 281.2 innings, including a 2.28 ERA last season with 105 strikeouts in 70 games.
He carries a power fastball and a wipeout slider, and he will be a free agent after this season on a $5.9 million salary.
For the Dodgers, that combination of upside and cost makes him a natural target if the Astros continue to struggle and decide to move pieces.
Another option is Pete Fairbanks of the Miami Marlins.
Fairbanks carries a 7.88 ERA through eight innings this season, but his underlying metrics tell a different story, with a 1.12 WHIP and a 12-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
He has four saves on the year, has converted three straight chances, and brings years of closing experience from his time in Tampa Bay.
His fastball and slider combination remains as dangerous as it has ever been, and a forward-thinking Marlins front office could be convinced to flip a rental reliever for future value if the right offer comes along.
The most intriguing name is Riley O'Brien of the St. Louis Cardinals.
O'Brien has been one of the best stories in baseball this season, posting a 0.00 ERA through 13 appearances and 13.1 innings with seven saves, three wins, and a strikeout total of 15 against zero walks.
He is under team control through 2030, which means the Cardinals would have to be blown away to part with him.
Riley O’Brien’s last two pitches of his save were both 101.1 MPH
— Jacob (@jacobledelman) April 22, 2026
His previous career high’s in MiLB and MLB respectively were 100.8 and 100.5 (which was 3 days ago)
He is something else. Cardinals got him for basically nothing in 2023.
But as Landers noted, his value might never be higher, and the Dodgers have the prospect capital to make it worth St. Louis's while.
One proposed framework circulating has the Dodgers sending prospects Jackson Ferris and Zach Ehrhard to get O'Brien, a package that would give the rebuilding Cardinals two near-big-league-ready pieces while Los Angeles lands the most reliable high-leverage arm currently available on the market.
What Comes Next
The Dodgers are fine right now.
Their bullpen ranks 15th in reliever ERA but fourth in expected ERA, which suggests the surface-level numbers are slightly worse than the underlying reality.
But fine is not good enough for a team built to win a championship, and the memory of their bullpen nearly costing them the 2025 title is fresh.
Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
