MLB Insider Reveals Dodgers Want to Add 'Multiple Starters' This Offseason
This offseason is very top-heavy in terms of available talent. Thankfully, that top-end talent comes in the way of starting pitchers - a huge need for the Dodgers.
MLB insider Jon Heyman posits that the Dodgers could be in the market for multiple starters this offseason,
Eight teams seek multiple starters: Mets, Cards, Cubs, Pirates, Dodgers, Angels, Giants, Red Sox.
Jon Heyman
This makes sense given the current state of the Dodgers starting rotation. With questions regarding Clayton Kershaw's future currently in the air, the team currently only has Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller, and Ryan Pepiot on the payroll.
The club will expect contributions from other rookies like Emmet Sheehan and Michael Grove. However, they may not be ready for a full season in a team's rotation with World Series aspirations. Their best contributions may come in the form of bullpen work while making spot starts during the year.
That leaves two spots minimum in the rotation open. If 2021 and 2023 showed anything, a team can never have enough pitching. The Dodgers will need something closer to seven starting pitchers, in some form, on the 40-man roster.
Free Agent Options for the Dodgers
The Dodgers have plenty of options to fill out their rotation for 2024. Ace-level talent includes the likes of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell. Then there's a plethora of solid middle-rotation pitchers like Jordan Montgomery, Aaron Nola, Shota Imanaga, Sonny Gray, and more! Finally, the Dodgers could bring back the likes of Lance Lynn or Kenta Maeda as good innings-eater options.
The Brewers recently announced they non-tendered two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff. While he won't be able to pitch next year, the Dodgers should look to sign him as an option for 2025.
And, of course, there's Shohei Ohtani who, like Woodruff, will not pitch in 2024. Locking him up long-term though provides the Dodgers with their ace for years to come.
Trade Market Options for the Dodgers
Some of the most intriguing names come from the trade market.
The Brewers look to be trading former Cy Young Corbin Burnes this offseason. The White Sox are in full fire sale mode, including young stud Dylan Cease. Lastly, Tyler Glasnow of the Rays also appears to be on the trade block.
Burnes and Glasnow will be free agents after 2024, so any trade for them likely comes with an extension. Cease on the other hand has three more years of team control before he becomes a free agent.
All three of these players are enticing options with a pitch mix that would play up in the postseason.
The Dodgers desperately need starting pitching, and their needs line up perfectly with the 2023 free-agency class. Expect some big splashes from Andrew Friedman and the front office this offseason.