Dodgers: Four Questions the 2018 Dodgers Must Answer

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LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 01: Clayton Kershaw /

The 2018 Dodgers are going to face a long hard road just to make it back to the World Series. If they want to make it again next year and win the World Series, there are questions to answer.

The Dodgers season has been over for less than a month, yet the hot stove is showing signs of heating up. With major league baseball agreeing to new posting rules, nothing is standing in the way of the impending free agent frenzy. While the Dodgers have the funds to go out and spend big money to solve the question marks on their roster, that does not guarantee any success.

The first order of business for the Dodgers is to evaluate which of their free agents are worth bringing back. That involves much more than one would think since free agents like Brandon Morrow have a checkered injury history and the bidding may reach levels the Dodgers don’t feel comfortable topping. If the Dodgers don’t bring back their main free agents, they will have to seek an immediate replacement whether it is through free agency or trade.

The Dodgers are currently on an upward trend, they have gotten one round further in each of the seasons Dave Roberts has been captain of the ship. In 2016, the Dodgers reached the NLCS, and then this year they came one win short of winning the World Series. If the Dodgers want to win their first World Series since 1988 in 2018, these are the questions that must be addressed.

Who can the Dodgers rely on to pitch deep into games?

This year the Dodgers starting rotation hardly ever consisted of the same starting five pitchers. It seemed like every time through the order there was a new pitcher or two added in place of a starter. It also appeared that due to relying on the bullpen for too many innings the Dodger bullpen was simply gassed in the World Series. Kenley Jansen wasn’t his usual dominant self, and Brandon Morrow hit a wall after being dominant all season.

The Dodgers need to pick up a starting pitcher who can give them six to seven innings almost every time out. This year Clayton Kershaw led the Dodgers in innings pitched, and he only pitched 175 innings. The usual benchmark for a starting pitcher is 200 innings. If you can reach close to 200 innings every season, you are a workhorse. The Dodgers need another workhorse. They have one in Kershaw, but he has succumbed to back injuries the past two years, so even he has some questions about his durability.

In fact, the Dodgers only had two starting pitchers who topped 150 innings as Alex Wood threw 152 innings while every other member of the starting rotation was around 130 innings or less. The Dodgers have a surplus of starting pitchers, but they all have their injury risks. Kershaw has gone down with a back injury in back to back season, Rich Hill has infamous blister issues and will be 38 years old next season, and Alex Wood had various arm/shoulder ailments throughout the year. Kenta Maeda was a better reliever than a starter, but even when he’s a starting pitcher, he broke down at the end of 2016 from throwing too many innings.

Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu also went down with physical ailments throughout the season, so it’s clear that the Dodgers need a workhorse to lift the burden off of the bullpen. You can “bullpen” a game in the post-season but you cannot do that all regular season without taxing everyone in the bullpen.

HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 27: Austin Barnes /

Who is the primary catcher for the Dodgers in 2018?

The Dodgers face a conundrum at the catcher position as well for the 2018 season. It is more than probable that they will even carry three catchers on the roster since Austin Barnes and Kyle Farmer are capable of playing multiple positions when they aren’t catching. The question is how do the Dodgers divide up the playing time at catcher? Barnes took over the starting role towards the end of the season and during the post-season, but he appeared to break down from starting too many games.

Barnes is listed at 190 pounds so he is small for a catcher and it’s not a good idea for the Dodgers to start him more than 100 games. While Yasmani Grandal once again faded in the second half, he still did not have a bad season overall but is approaching a contract year. Grandal will be 30 years old after next season which is getting old for a starting everyday catcher. Especially one who has had as many injuries has Grandal has had throughout his career.

Dave Roberts could choose to play a platoon since Barnes had a .886 OPS off of southpaw pitching compared to a .668 OPS by Grandal. Playing a platoon would allow both catchers to get rest and not wear down as much as an every day starting catcher would. Both Grandal and Barnes are elite pitch framers so the Dodgers will have a strong defensive catcher no matter who starts.

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 01: Kenley Jansen /

Who will bridge the late innings leading to Kenley Jansen?

The Dodgers had one of the best bullpens in baseball this year since they had a dominant duo at the end of games in Brandon Morrow and Kenley Jansen. The issue is that Morrow is now a free agent and figures to be in high demand this off-season. Given that Morrow is 33 years old and has a laundry list of past shoulder injuries, the Dodgers would be wise not to overpay him. The Dodgers have had poor results from previous reliever signings who were coming off of injury, see Sergio Romo and Brian Wilson.

If Brandon Morrow does depart then, the Dodgers will have a gaping hole in the eighth inning. Pedro Baez completely melted down at the end of last season and played himself off of the playoff roster. Despite finishing with a 2.95 ERA, Baez posted an ERA over ten in September and appeared to lose all the confidence he once had. If Baez cannot bounce back, then the Dodgers will have holes to fill for the seventh and eighth innings. That doesn’t even cover the fact that Kenley Jansen can not close every single game so for some games, the Dodgers will need to cover the last 2-3 innings without Jansen.

As you can see, there is work to do for the Dodger bullpen to be a big strength like it was this season. The good news is that there is a surplus of quality relievers on the market, unlike the starting pitching market. Still, given that relievers tend to be volatile from year to year, the Dodgers will need to acquire 2-3 relievers this off-season to shore up the pen.

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 01: Joc Pederson /

Who steps up to take over the left field job?

More from Dodgers Way

The Dodgers find themselves with a lot of options for the starting left field position in 2018, but there are also a lot of questions. Joc Pederson broke out once again in the World Series, mashing three home runs but was that just a bottle of lightning? He will need to come to spring training and prove that he figured something out with his batting stance that is constantly changing.

Andrew Toles will be coming back from ACL surgery which is as common as Tommy John surgeries in today’s sports world. He was a stellar surprise in 2016 and was off to a strong start in 2017 before he injured his knee diving for a ball in left field.

If Toles can bounce back, then the Dodgers will have another player besides Chris Taylor who is capable of stealing bases. The issue is what happens if both Toles and Pederson flop?

The Dodgers also have talented prospect Alex Verdugo on the roster, but he struggled during his September call-up. Verdugo did swat on home run but only hit .174 in his brief major league stint.

Next: Could the Dodgers target Tommy Pham?

The only sure thing in left field is that Kiké Hernandez will likely play left field against left-handed starting pitchers. Outside of that, there is a lot to sort out in spring training for left field. If the Dodgers want to win the World Series next year, they need to answer these questions first.

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