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The Los Angeles Dodgers are in trouble. With Ace Clayton Kershaw out for an “uncertain” amount of time the Dodgers must look elsewhere for arms. They have spent boat loads of money but have yet to reach the World Series. If Kershaw is shut down for the year, this could be the beginning of a rebuild.

What are their options now?

The Dodgers are a team that relies on Kershaw. His arm has carried them this season but the DL has carried every other pitcher. The Dodgers must make a few drastic moves or they could find themselves on the outside looking in come October. It may sound a little hasty on my part but the team is in the hunt for the NL West, and if that doesn’t work out they are leading the NL Wild Card by 1 Game. This is why I feel immediate action must be taken. The San Francisco Giants are red-hot now and with Kershaw and now Hyun-Jin Ryu on the DL the team is in desperate need of arms.

There have been reports that Yasiel Puig is on the trade block, if so maybe the Dodgers should give the New York Yankees a call and offer the young slugger for Michael Pineda. He may not be Ace material but he will provide a stoppage of the bleeding until Kershaw and Ryu return from the DL. The playoffs are all about the pitching and defense, if the Dodgers can’t find a plug in time, they deserve what they get. At this point failure should not be an option. They have battled all season long, now it seems they are prepared to put their season on the line for an “uncertain”.

The front office must take a page out of the Brian Cashman handbook, this is baseball, and with the Dodgers money seems to be no object. This is the time of teams willing to sell for the future and teams willing to buy for the present. The Dodgers are buyers and must treat the trade deadline as such. The offense is in good hands but if there is no one on the mound to protect it then what’s the point of aiming for the post season?

The deadline is where winners are made, the right signing can put you over the top, ask the New York Mets what happened last season after they acquired the services of Yoenis Cespedes. If the Dodgers want to walk, swing and spend like the big clubs they must learn it takes guts to do what has to be done.

Your Ace is out, your lead is slipping, what’s the next move?