The Los Angeles Dodgers have some clear needs in free agency this offseason, and starting pitching is not among those in a reversal from recent trends.
Clayton Kershaw is the only member of the Dodgers rotation who won’t return next season as he enters retirement.
The Dodgers’ group of starters will feature Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who finished third in National League Cy Young Award voting, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Emmet Sheehan. Roki Sasaki will also be giving it another go as a starter despite excelling in a bullpen role.
Additionally, the Dodgers will also welcome back River Ryan and Gavin Stone from injury. General manager Brandon Gomes said the Dodgers expect the pair to have a relatively straightforward year in 2026, per Jeff Feltcher of the Southern California News Group:
Pitchers River Ryan and Gavin Stone, who are both returning from surgery, are expected to be ready for spring training and a “normal” buildup, Gomes said. “We expect them to have a pretty normal year, whatever a normal year is coming off surgery.” …
While the Dodgers don’t have room for Ryan and Stone on their roster at the moment, organizational depth is extremely important considering Snell and Glasnow combined for 29 starts in the regular season this year. It also protects the team against the possibility of Sasaki regressing as a starter.
Stone is the more established pitcher of the two, with a solid 2024 rookie season under his belt. The 27-year-old posted a 3.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 116 strikeouts in 140.1 innings pitched.
Ryan made his MLB debut in 2024 because of injuries to the starting rotation. He only made four starts before suffering an injury of his own, but showed a lot of potential. In his four appearances, Ryan pitched at least 4.2 innings and allowed two or fewer runs in each outing.
While Stone and Ryan are on the outside looking in to make the Opening Day roster, they could each help their case to be considered when a need arises with strong performances in Spring Training.
Dodgers approach to free agency and trades
The Dodgers’ aggressive approach in the offseason the past two years set the groundwork for back-to-back World Series titles. The byproduct of signing the likes of Ohtani, Snell and Sasaki is a roster with very few holes.
The two most glaring issues are in the outfield and the bullpen, but not much outside of that. Gomes said the organization will take a “very targeted” approach to addressing those issues.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
