Keith Law & Dodgers Trade Rumors: Fan Backlash

Teh Dodgers have a pitching prospect who could become the best in baseball, but injuries have intricate the path for River Ryan.

Los Angeles Dodgers fans eager for the 2026 season are watching a engaging group of young pitchers vying for a spot on the roster. Among those competing are Emmet Sheehan, gavin Stone, River Ryan, Edgardo Henriquez, Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius, and Kyle Hurt.

Ryan’s potential: A Top Prospect Hampered by Injury

Could River Ryan be the next ace in Dodger Stadium? The right-hander’s trajectory has been remarkable, yet repeatedly interrupted by setbacks.He began 2024 with a stunning four starts and a 1.33 ERA before undergoing Tommy John surgery in august, according to reports.

Did you know? River Ryan’s fastball has earned a 65/80 rating from MLB Pipeline, indicating significant potential despite limited innings pitched.

Despite not pitching at all in 2025, Ryan remained in the Dodgers’ pipeline’s top 10 throughout the year, sitting at no.9. His 20 1/3 inning sample size is minuscule, but his fastball showed a lot of early potential.

Pro tip While Ryan excels at inducing ground balls, his Triple-A strikeout rate (10.5 SO/9) suggests developing swing-and-miss potential with improved command of his secondary pitches.

He looked like a better ground ball pitcher than swing-and-miss guy during his brief major league stint, but his 10.5 SO/9 rate in Triple-A suggests he has swing-and-miss stuff — a slider and curveball with a lot of movement — that he just needs to get a better feel for in MLB.

the Dodgers are content to hoard all of these once or current top prospects right now, but they’re going to have to let some of them go at some point.

Reader question Could River Ryan be a valuable trade asset for the Dodgers, potentially acquiring established pitchers like Joe Ryan or Tarik Skubal?

Keith Law of The Athletic said that Ryan “could be the top pitching prospect in baseball if he were completely healthy.” That potential makes him an intriguing trade chip, perhaps for players like Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins or Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.

If the Dodgers aren’t willing to trade Tyler Glasnow for either Ryan or Skubal, they have a wealth of burgeoning talent with even more years of team control that they can dangle in front of selling teams.

It’s going to take a lot more than Ryan to get either of them, especially Skubal, but if he can pitch some productive long relief outings out of the dodgers’ bullpen, he could be a place to start.

Meanwhile, other pitchers are also in the mix for rotation spots. It’s unclear if the Dodgers will use a six-man rotation, but if they do, Emmet Sheehan seems like the most likely candidate after making 15 appearances (12 starts) last year. Gavin Stone was a reliable starter for the Dodgers in 2024 — he never missed a single start — before a shoulder issue in September required surgery.