SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 21: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers stands in the dugout before their game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on April 21, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent much of the 2026 season searching for pitching solutions despite persisting as baseball’s most talented team.
Injuries throughout the rotation and bullpen have forced the organization to look beyond its established stars, leading to a series of additions designed to reinforce the club ahead of another postseason push.
One of the more notable recent moves involved left-hander Eric Lauer, who arrived in a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays after voicing some displeasure with how the team was utilizing him in the beginning of the season.
Toronto Blue Jays Castoff Eric Lauer Praises Los Angeles Dodgers Trade
After joining the Dodgers, Lauer addressed his outspoken criticism of his former team, which seemed to reach a breaking point as he complained to the media about pitching behind an opener.
“Earlier this season, Lauer expressed some displeasure about being used behind an opener while with the Blue Jays,” Sonja Chen wrote for MLB.com. “He believes that those comments were blown out of proportion on social media, but he is looking forward to the change of scenery and the clear role he’s adopting with the Dodgers.”
After joining the defending World Series champions, Lauer praised the Dodgers for being clear about how they were planning to use him on the mound.
“It’s good to just have that clarity and that understanding of, ‘This is what we see out of you, this is where we’re going to use you, this is what we need, this is what we want,’” Lauer said of his new role with the Dodgers, per Chen. “And when it lines up with what I want and what I feel I can do the best to help the team, I think that’s a really good spot to be in.”
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Max Muncy Sends Toronto Blue Jays Message
The acquisition also created an opportunity for some friendly clubhouse banter, particularly because Lauer spent years trying to beat the Dodgers while pitching for rival organizations, most notably during the teams’ epic clash in last year’s World Series.
And for Dodgers’ veteran infielder Max Muncy, that history has created some funny moments with his new teammate.
“We have had a lot of conversations with him about him not liking us very much when he was pitching for other teams,” Muncy said during a recent appearance on Foul Territory. “And we’ve had some good laughs about it.”
Lauer’s new teammates might find some humor in the fact that their former foe is now trying to help them win a third straight title. But for the Blue Jays, who felt they had to cut ties with Lauer as he criticized the manager’s decisions, losing the World Series in Game 7 last year is no laughing matter.