Due to a string of injuries and uncontrollable circumstances, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation proved to be a vulnerability during the 2023 season

The starting lineup for Los Angeles came into the season with Clayton Kershaw, Julio Uras, Dustin May, Noah Syndergaard, Ryan Pepiot, and Michael Grove. But when they got to the postseason, Lance Lynn, Bobby Miller, and an ailing Kershaw made up the starting rotation; between them, they only pitched 4.2 innings in the National League Division Series.

It’s reasonable to argue that the Dodgers rotation would have been stronger if Kershaw hadn’t been hurt, in addition to Gonsolin and May suffering season-ending injuries. They also could not have expected Uras’s arrest. Nevertheless, with Lynn and Ryan Yarbrough the only additions made at the trade deadline, it remained a glaring weakness for the squad.

Although Lynn gave the team much-needed innings, in 2023 he was maybe the worst starting pitcher in baseball. With the exception of a few appearances from Miller and Pepiot in the closing stages of games, Dodgers starters, other than Lynn, rarely went deep into contests.

It begs the issue of how much priority the Dodgers place on finding pitchers who can control innings and pitch long into games, but president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said that quality is becoming increasingly scarce in baseball.

The question, in my opinion, should be how many there are on Earth. That, in my opinion, is the first query, said Friedman. “You can reach a broader worldwide issue regarding the industry’s player development.

“Youth baseball and what people are practising for and velocity readings instead of how to take down more innings, maybe isn’t the ideal setting for it. It’s a much more comprehensive question and philosophical debate.

“However, we also want pitchers to pitch seven innings, strike out a lot, and be able to reach our two best relievers in the bullpen. That dish is far more cosy. How many of them exist is the question. After that, why?

The Dodgers have been quite successful in producing pitchers lately. Among their most well-known players are Walker Buehler, May, Gonsolin, Miller, Pepiot, Gavin Stone, and Josiah Grey, who was dealt to the Washington Nationals. Still on their minds, though, is how to better develop pitchers and maintain their health.

“I simply believe that training has changed from what it was, and I believe that preparation is key,” Friedman continued. Once more, this is a discussion for a later time. We are currently discussing the 2023 Dodgers and all things 2024. The question is far more global in scope.

“I believe that one of the most crucial questions facing the entire profession is pitcher development and injury. For us, I care more about it than I do about the other 29 teams. It’s something we think about constantly.

The Dodgers need a frontline starter, if not two, and some depth players in their rotation for 2024, so they have a lot of issues to address and a difficult winter ahead of them.

beginning pitchers on contract with the DodgersThe Dodgers have signed players such as Buehler, May, Gonsolin, Miller, Pepiot, Stone, Yarbrough, and Emmet Sheehan to contracts that expire in 2024. But Buehler is coming back from a second Tommy John surgery, May and Gonsolin will miss most or all of the season, and Yarbrough is more suited for a relief job.

Regarding Kershaw, who had surgery on his left shoulder, the Dodgers do not anticipate a prompt response from the future Hall of Famer.