The Los Angeles Dodgers were aggressive in their pursuit of pitching during the offseason, adding high-end arms and depth to both areas of their staff.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow were brought in to lead the starting rotation, and are a duo that stands up against any pairing around baseball. The return of Walker Buehler from Tommy John surgery is slated for some point this season and the Dodgers also have Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan and James Paxton.
Keeping Clayton Kershaw with the Dodgers was a priority for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, but his timeline is somewhat unknown following offseason shoulder surgery.
The bullpen was an area that Friedman held off in signing a big name, but they still reunited with Joe Kelly, Daniel Hudson and Ryan Brasier.
With the mix of new additions, players returning and young arms taking a step forward, the Dodgers pitching staff is one Friedman feels confident in heading into the regular season, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“We feel really good about the collection of arms we have,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “We feel really good about the quality of stuff and [our] volume of really talented pitchers.”
Unlike other years, the Dodgers underwent a staff-wide regression last year, finishing 13th with a combined 4.06 ERA. But it was their bullpen that carried the load (3.42 ERA), while the rotation became a sinking ship that ended their postseason hopes (4.57 ERA).
Addressing the rotation was a focus for Friedman, and he did that in a big way by also shoring up the bullpen. The Dodgers will need to prove it on the field, but their pitching staff should be a strength for the club in 2024.
Which young arms could contribute most for Dodgers pitching staff?
Aside from the top names, the Dodgers are in a fortunate position that they’ll have a number of young prospects who are ready to contribute at the Major League level.
Sheehan is in his second year, and alongside Michael Grove, Gavin Stone, Landon Knack and potentially River Ryan, their Triple-A Oklahoma City staff is loaded with capable arms.
Also of note is Kyle Hurt, who dazzled in his short, but impressive big league debut in 2023. Hurt profiles as a big arm out of the bullpen, but has started games in the Minor Leagues.
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