The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their offseason by doing what they do greatest — signing a big-name star to an enormous contract and angering the followers of 29 different groups.
They began their yearly spending spree this week by signing free agent pitcher Blake Snell to a $182 million contract, including one other front-line starter and ace pitcher to their rotation.
It’s a enormous transfer not solely as a result of Snell is likely one of the greatest pitchers in baseball but additionally as a result of beginning pitching depth was a giant concern for the Dodgers throughout the 2024 season and playoffs because of accidents. They by no means appeared to have a completely wholesome workers, and they’re apparently ready to exit of their approach to guarantee that doesn’t occur once more.
The addition of Snell, in addition to the return of Shohei Ohtani to the mound after recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure, add some severe expertise to a rotation that may already boast Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw and several other different high-upside arms.
If all the things goes based on plan, it ought to be the perfect beginning rotation in baseball on paper.
That doesn’t even get into the potential of whether or not or not they go after — and signal — Roki Sasaki (which might’t be completely ignored).
The issue is that issues not often go as deliberate with pitchers, and no crew is aware of that greater than the Dodgers, given their current harm historical past.
Virtually each beginning pitcher on the workers has some type of main and/or current harm concern that may not be neglected.
Ohtani has already had two Tommy John surgical procedures in his profession and goes to be coming off the second of these subsequent season.
Nearly as good as Snell is, he has began greater than 24 video games in a season simply thrice in his profession and threw simply 104 innings in 2024.
He appears to be like like a monument of sturdiness subsequent to Glasnow, who has by no means began greater than 22 video games in a season and has solely twice began greater than 14 video games.
That doesn’t even get into the current points which have plagued Kershaw, Dustin Might and Bobby Miller.
There’s a good likelihood that no less than one, and maybe a number of, of these pitchers are going to overlook time subsequent season or be restricted by their current accidents.
One of the best ways to counter that’s to easily have as many pitchers as you may get. If there may be one crew that may afford that on a high-end degree, it’s the Dodgers. They appear dedicated to attempt to do exactly that.