Dodgers Offseason: Team Focused on Starting Pitching, According to Friedman

At the GM meetings in Las Vegas, Dodgers president Andrew Friedman said starting pitching is "very" high on their priority list.

The Dodgers currently don't have an entire major-league starting rotation, with three of their 2022 starters — Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Anderson, and Andrew Heaney — hitting free agency after the World Series ended. Los Angeles has Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin, and Dustin May, but beyond that the 2023 rotation outlook is murky.

Unsurprisingly, L.A. president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has identified starting pitching as a big area of need for the team.

How high up the agenda is for the #Dodgers to get starting pitching this winter?

"Very," Andrew Friedman said.

— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) November 9, 2022

Friedman made it clear the team wants Kershaw back, and they'd surely want Anderson back at the right price. But as Friedman also noted, there are some internal options to fill a hole or two in the rotation.

Friedman said starting pitching is "very" high up the agenda for the Dodgers this offseason –– although also added they have "a lot of really talented kids knocking on the door."

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) November 9, 2022

Ryan Pepiot, Michael Grove, and Andre Jackson all saw time in the big leagues in 2022, but they're likely not the biggest names Friedman is talking about. Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone both finished the season in Triple-A and show a ton of promise as future rotation pieces.

There are a couple big names on the free agent market for starting pitchers, including Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodon, and the Dodgers could be in on one or both of them if the price is right. There also could be starters available on the trade market, including Pablo Lopez of the Marlins and maybe even Corbin Burnes of the Brewers.

This early in the offseason, it's almost impossible to guess how Friedman & Co. will address the starting pitching. But as Friedman confirmed on Tuesday, the one thing we know is that they will address it.