Dodgers: Austin Barnes Understands This LA Team Has More Question Marks Than Usual

The Dodgers head into spring training with more questions than usual, but Austin Barnes still expects the team to be very competitive.

The Dodgers had a record-breaking regular season in 2022, followed by one of the most devastating postseason collapses in franchise history, losing the NLDS to the Padres in four games. Los Angeles followed that with a quiet offseason, especially compared to the frenetic spending of most of the league — including those same Padres.

So LA heads into spring training with more questions than usual. Rookie Miguel Vargas has been anointed the starting second baseman, a position he hasn't played much. We still don't know who will replace Cody Bellinger in center field. And the starting rotation has a ton of upside but also a fair amount of durability risk.

Backup catcher Austin Barnes, one of the team leaders in the clubhouse, acknowledged recently that there are some questions this spring, as Bill Plunkett reports in the Orange County Register. But he remains confident in his team.

“Yeah, maybe with the younger guys,” Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said, acknowledging that this year’s team presents more unknowns than usual. “But you know – the Dodgers always put a product on the field that seems to win games. I think everybody has belief that we’re going to go out there and play well, win the division and be in the hunt to win a World Series. I don’t think the standard is any different.”

It's easy to overlook that the Dodgers still have a really, really good team. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts both finished in the top five in the MVP voting last year. Will Smith is one of the best catchers in baseball. Vargas was among the best hitters in the minor leagues last year. Gavin Lux was having an outstanding season in 2022 before a neck injury derailed him. Max Muncy was his typical slugging self for the last three months of the year. And the rotation could legitimately be the best in baseball with reasonable health.

As Barnes says, LA will head into the season with the same high expectations they have every year. Maybe not being the overwhelming favorites all year will help them keep the edge they lacked last October.