With Juan Toribio out on vacation, this edition of the Dodgers Beat newsletter was written by Los Angeles-based reporter/producer Sarah Wexler.
LOS ANGELES -- At the conclusion of the Winter Meetings, Anthony Castrovince took a look at the Dodgers’ most important remaining needs. No. 1 was signing Shohei Ohtani.
Check.
But what else do the Dodgers have to get done? No. 3 on Castrovince’s list was a designated hitter, in the event they couldn’t sign Ohtani. No need to worry about that now.
No. 2, however, remains a glaring hole for Los Angeles to address: starting pitching. Because outside of Bobby Miller, little is certain about the team’s Opening Day rotation.
Having undergone right elbow surgery in October, Ohtani isn’t an option to pitch in 2024. Several other Dodgers pitchers are questionable due to recent procedures as well.
Walker Buehler (Tommy John surgery in September 2022), Dustin May (right flexor tendon surgery in July) and Tony Gonsolin (Tommy John surgery in September) are all likely to miss the start of the season. Clayton Kershaw is a free agent, and while the Dodgers have expressed interest in bringing him back for a 17th season, he will not be ready to pitch until the second half after undergoing offseason left shoulder surgery.
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There are certainly a number of pitchers already in the fold -- including Emmet Sheehan, Ryan Pepiot, Michael Grove and Gavin Stone, all of whom saw time in the Majors last year -- who are candidates to compete for rotation spots. Ryan Yarbrough, whom the Dodgers might prefer as a long man out of the bullpen, also has starting experience.
The point stands: L.A. still needs reinforcements.
Of the big-name free agents, none is bigger than Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who at age 25 is expected to command a deal as high as $300 million. The Dodgers remain in the running for Yamamoto’s services, even post-Ohtani deal.
A number of other top arms -- including Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray and Kyle Gibson -- have already landed elsewhere. Reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, on the other hand, is still unsigned. He’s an option on the Dodgers’ radar, although heading into Snell’s age-31 season, they would prefer him on a shorter-term contract.
On the trade market, the most prominent options reportedly available are the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes, the Rays’ Tyler Glasnow and Dylan Cease of the White Sox, all of whom the Dodgers have been linked to. Burnes and Glasnow each have one year of team control remaining, while Cease would come with two.
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The Dodgers and Brewers have had conversations not just about Burnes but also about shortstop Willy Adames. Gavin Lux is Los Angeles’ expected starting shortstop, a role he was supposed to have in 2023 before tearing his right ACL in Spring Training and missing the entire season.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has a history with Adames, having acquired him as the Rays’ GM in the David Price trade in 2014. That said, latest indications are that the Brewers might not want to part with Burnes.
Beyond that, the Dodgers have a need in the outfield, especially now that Mookie Betts is slated to be their full-time second baseman in 2024. Jason Heyward, back on a one-year deal after a resurgent '23 season, will get plenty of reps in right field, but the club could add a right-handed bat to platoon him with, given how infrequently Heyward faced left-handed pitching last year.
In the other corner of the outfield, the Dodgers’ primary left fielder last season, David Peralta, is a free agent. Chris Taylor has plenty of experience there, but the team prizes him for his defensive versatility and likely won’t lock him into any one role. There are several free agents still available at the position, while one name that’s been floated as a trade candidate is Randy Arozarena -- could he factor into a potential Glasnow deal?
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Ohtani has worn No. 17 for the entirety of his six-year career in the Majors. The problem? That number had previously been occupied by Joe Kelly, who re-signed with L.A. on a one-year deal, the club announced Monday.
In an attempt to sway Ohtani to come to the Dodgers, Kelly’s wife, Ashley, took to Instagram on Friday with a comedic video announcing the “#Ohtake17 campaign,” suggesting that not only could Ohtani have Kelly’s uniform number, but he could even repurpose some of the reliever’s old merchandise, with some clever modifications. That may or may not have played a role in Ohtani’s final decision, but a followup video revealed that Kelly will, indeed, be switching to a different number for 2024. Say hello to the new No. 99.
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