Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2024
Since the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Blake Snell, pending a physical, to a five-year $182 million contract, baseball thinks the Dodgers have a deep starting rotation. They don’t, and they need another starting pitcher. After the 2024 season, the Dodgers proved a baseball team cannot have too many starting pitchers.
On paper, the Dodgers have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. They have Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Snell, Tony Gonsolin, and Dustin May. Clayton Kershaw, who had a foot and a knee surgery in November, is expected to return.
As of now, Snell is the workhorse of the Dodger starting rotation. His career-high in innings was 180. Since Snell has been in the major leagues in 2016, he hasn’t had a major arm injury. He doesn’t do deep in games but doesn’t need to with the Dodgers. The Dodgers probably wouldn’t need to start Snell on Opening Day though Snell would be an ace with 29 major league teams.
Glasnow couldn’t pitch after the middle of August 2024 because of a sprained right elbow. He couldn’t play in the postseason. According to Dodger pitching coach Mark Prior, Glasnow is healthy and will resume a throwing program in December. In 2024, Glasnow established a career-high in innings with 130. During his major league career, Glasnow has established a reputation as a talented but fragile pitcher. The Dodgers don’t know if he will make his 27 starts in the 2025 season, and looking at his track record, Glasnow won’t.
Shohei Ohtani will be delayed starting the 2025 season as a pitcher. He had an offseason left shoulder to repair his torn labrum suffered in Game 2 in the World Series, and the surgery on his non-pitching shoulder will delay Ohtani’s season as a pitcher. Coming off his second elbow surgery since 2019, Ohtani needs to be protected from an injury. He has a career-high in innings with 166.1. Can the Dodgers do without Ohtani’s offense?
Although Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a good rookie season, he missed three months with a strained rotator cuff. He pitched well during the postseason, but will Yamamoto’s right shoulder last through the 2025 season? If he doesn’t, the Dodgers will be in trouble. In the 2024 season, Yamamoto pitched 90 innings.
Tony Gonsolin is coming off his first Tommy John surgery and should be ready for a normal workload. Some pitchers respond to Tommy John surgery fabulously, but others need time to figure out how to retire the opposing hitters. Gonsolin should be great but never know.
Dustin May has missed almost two years with his second Tommy John surgery and a torn esophagus surgery. While May has the most talent of a Dodger pitcher, he has a jerky delivery putting unnecessary stress on his arm. May has never made it through the month of May during a major league season healthy.
The Dodgers had a great depth in their starting rotation at the beginning of the 2024 season. Emmet Sheehan, Kyle Hurt, and River Ryan had Tommy John surgery. Bobby Miller took a huge step backward during the 2024 season with an 8.52 ERA in 56 innings.
The addition of Snell is great for the Dodgers, but they need another starter to fortify their starting rotation for the 2025 season.
