Chad Billingsley will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, April 24. Recovery time is expected to be 12 months.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 23, 2013
That is very, very unfortunate news for the Dodgers. After losing Zack Greinke to a broken collarbone, trading away Aaron Harang, and seeing lefties Chris Capuano and Ted Lilly making regular trips to the DL, a once-stacked rotation is quickly dwindling.
Billingsley's injury seemed like a ticking time bomb all along, as he routinely came back too early from soreness or short DL stints. The Dodgers may have dropped the ball on his rehab, but either way they have a big problem on their hands.
After Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers are now left with Josh Beckett, Hyun-Jin Ryu, whichever combination of Lilly and Capuano is healthiest, and Stephen Fife. It's a far cry from the staff they started with, but it will have to do until July, when Greinke returns.
Unless, of course, the Dodgers spend some of that endless cash and dip into their prospect pool a little bit to pull off a trade. They have the means, but will they pull the trigger? And if so, will it be the right move? Here are three potential trade scenarios for the Dodgers to replace Greinke and Billingsley.
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