As playoffs approach, Dodgers don’t have time to ask ‘what if’ about Eduardo Rodriguez

LOS ANGELES — As Eduardo Rodriguez’s name was introduced, a few folks didn’t forget. The Detroit Tigers left-hander received a smattering of boos, not from fans eager to relive his glove spike in this very same ballpark but for Rodriguez’s decision not to call Dodger Stadium home for a couple of months.

His near-arrival in Los Angeles played out so quickly, it’s easy to forget the shock that emanated through the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse as they, like everyone else, found out that the Dodgers agreed to a deal to land Rodriguez — only he had invoked his no-trade clause to nix the deal. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said at the time that while they were never definitively told Rodriguez would waive his no-trade — “We didn’t expect it at all.” Some, including former teammates in Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, had a feeling after Rodriguez hadn’t texted them back when they’d reached out about his potential arrival.

“Absolute crickets,” Martinez said at the time, laughing and no-commenting when it was brought up again Monday night.

Then he went and smacked a pair of home runs in his first two times facing him since then, with fattening Rodriguez’s final line (five runs in three innings) with a solo blast and a three-run shot in what would be an 8-3 Dodgers win.

“Everyone makes their decisions, everyone’s got their choices, why they did it,” Martinez said. “He texted me and apologized, said why he couldn’t text me back and stuff like that. It was a family decision. I get it, man. He’s got to do what he has to do for him, and it’s understandable. Obviously, we wanted him here but it is what it is.”

Rodriguez left the following inning with a trainer after what Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters was a “scap spasm” suffered throwing a fourth-inning pitch to Chris Taylor, capping a brief and unmemorable trip to Los Angeles playing out the string against a club that showed why it could be so dangerous when paired with an arm of his caliber.

“I was certainly, like everybody, surprised that he didn’t waive his no-trade to come here, to play for a team that’s contending,” Roberts said Monday afternoon. “But that’s something that was personal to him. Obviously, I’m sure there was a good reason behind it. I just don’t know that answer.”

They’d essentially been ghosted, with Rodriguez using his negotiated right to remain in Detroit, citing a desire to remain closer to family in Miami.

“Everybody has different reasons and opinions with their own careers and I respect Eduardo’s reason why he didn’t want to come here,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said. “We take care of what we can control, which is our clubhouse, and we just move on.”

The Dodgers have had little other choice. They came out of the deadline with just two additions to their rotation in Lance Lynn and Ryan Yarbrough, who has morphed into a versatile swingman. They never landed the impact arm they clearly sought at the deadline. Justin Verlander coming to Los Angeles seemed unlikely as long as Houston got involved (which the Astros did). Max Scherzer brought a complicated history and a difficult contract to navigate. Lucas Giolito went to Anaheim for a hefty price, as did Jordan Montgomery in his deal to the Rangers. The Dodgers were engaged in talks for Chicago’s Dylan Cease, Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller and even Boston’s James Paxton, but they didn’t wind up moving.

Rodriguez would’ve helped. The Dodgers’ pitching depth has only gotten worse since the deadline.

Their Opening Day and presumptive Game 1 starter, Julio Urías, is on paid administrative leave and has had his locker cleaned out following an arrest on suspicion of felony corporal injury on a spouse.

Tony Gonsolin, pitching with a torn ulnar collateral ligament since June, finally succumbed and underwent Tommy John surgery.

Walker Buehler made it official that he won’t be back in the majors this year as he recovers from a second Tommy John of his own.

As it stands, it’s anyone’s best guess how many, if any, outs the Dodgers will have a starter record into the fifth inning and beyond this October.

Bobby Miller’s status is secure, but he’s a rookie. Clayton Kershaw is pitching through shoulder trouble. Lynn, starting opposite Rodriguez, nearly made it five scoreless innings before he gave up a three-run shot for his 42nd home run allowed on the year – the most in the majors since Bronson Arroyo in 2011 – and entered the night with a 4.60 ERA as a Dodger. Yarbrough has pitched well, but the Dodgers value his versatility. Behind them are a bunch of talented, unproven rookies in Ryan Pepiot, Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone.

It wouldn’t be hard to blame them for asking, what if? Roberts disagreed.

“I think if a guy doesn’t want to be here for whatever reason, then c’est la vie, it’s all good,” Roberts said.

Even prior to Monday’s early exit, Rodriguez hadn’t matched his stellar first half post-deadline. He’s not alone when it comes to the options the Dodgers tried to acquire, did acquire or who were notably moved:

So the Dodgers will have to bet on what they have. Roberts called Lynn’s start “a big step in the right direction.” He noted Lynn’s aggressiveness with his stuff in the zone without feeling the right-hander was holding anything back for later in starts. In October, he very may well have been out of the ballgame by the time Detroit strung together a pair of two-out singles in the fifth and Jake Rogers drove Lynn’s elevated fastball out of the park.

The division is already wrapped up, the post-clinch hangover a few hours old. With two weeks to go, the Dodgers still have time to see what they have.

“I know what I’m capable of,” Lynn said. “And I got a couple more starts to find my ground here.”

(Top photo of J.D. Martinez watches his three-run homer against Eduardo Rodriguez of the Tigers: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)