Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow puts trade rumors behind ahead of spring camp

Last fall, Tyler Glasnow reached the pinnacle of his 10-year MLB career.

After missing the 2024 postseason with an injury, the veteran right-hander was healthy and effective during the Dodgers’ October run to a second consecutive World Series title. He followed up another strong (albeit, injury-abbreviated) regular season by posting a 1.69 ERA in six playoff outings. He even played a key role in Game 7 of the Fall Classic, emerging from the bullpen for two-plus innings to help the Dodgers eventually storm back in their historic championship-clinching victory.

So, it came as something of a surprise when the 32-year-old pitcher, who still has three seasons and more than $80 million remaining on the contract he signed with the team two years ago, saw his name pop up in trade rumors early in the winter.

It was a brief moment of uncertainty –– but quickly quelled by a check-in with team management in mid-December.

“I was just like, ‘What’s going on here,’” Glasnow recalled asking the Dodgers’ front office, as rumors swirled that the club could be open to discussing the All-Star in a trade (perhaps, some in the industry speculated, if the team were to make a serious pursuit for Tigers star Tarik Skubal).

“They said, ‘Don’t worry, you’re not going anywhere.’ It was as short as that. Short and simple. It was nice to hear.”

Indeed, Glasnow’s only desire this winter was not to change anything. Not teams. Not mindset. And, most of all, not a delivery he felt like he finally started “locking in” during his productive October performance.

“This whole offseason has been business as usual,” Glasnow said at last week’s Dodgers Fanfest event. “Stay healthy. Don’t change anything. Just solidify what I was doing in the postseason.”

Ever since Glasnow arrived in a trade with the Rays in December 2023 (a move that was also accompanied by a five-year, $136.5 million extension in Los Angeles), finding consistent mechanics has proven to be a challenge for the lanky Santa Clarita native.

Despite a breakout first half to the 2024 season, which earned Glasnow his first career All-Star selection, the 6-foot-8 hurler never felt fully comfortable with his throw. He had made adjustments early that year that, in hindsight, might have contributed to a back injury that sidelined him for much of the second half of the campaign. When he tried returning for that season’s playoffs, he suffered an elbow problem that shut him down for the rest of the year.

There was more trial-and-error last season, as Glasnow tried to simplify his delivery and focus more on just “competing” while on the mound.

In late April, he hit the injured list again for three months with a shoulder issue. In early September, he was scratched from a start in Baltimore when his back tightened.

For a moment, it seemed like his postseason availability could once again be in doubt.

In the final weeks of the regular season, however, Glasnow had a breakthrough. He said pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness helped him make a subtle, but significant, mechanical tweak in the way he aligned his hip. The change helped take the stress off his back as he threw, allowing for a free-and-easy comfort level that had eluded him for much of his first couple years with the team.

Now, Glasnow has renewed confidence in his ability to “just let it loose” in his starts –– having spent this winter further honing the physical feel that underlined his strong postseason (when his 1.69 ERA ranked third best among all pitchers with more than three playoff outings).

And, he’s not worried about his long-term future, either, bolstered by the belief he felt from the team as it shot down this winter’s brief hot stove trade rumors.

“You’re always tinkering and trying to find ways to get better in the offseason and just feel good moving forward,” Glasnow said, noting he also hasn’t felt any after-effects from the quick offseason turnaround. “But going into spring training, it’s good. It’s more about juggling the in-season stresses and things like that from start to start. It’s working with the training staff and strength coaches, getting on that program. And I think I’m in a really good spot right now.”