Dodgers: Questions Heading Into the Winter Meetings

Do the Dodgers need another front-line starting pitcher?

Clayton Kershaw had better playoff success this year until game five of the World Series at least, due to starting on regular rest.  Kershaw was able to start on normal rest because of the Dodgers mid-season trade for Yu Darvish.  Darvish gave the Dodgers two front tier starting pitchers in a combo that was reminiscent of the Kershaw-Greinke days.

The Dodgers will enter the winter meetings with a starting rotation of Kershaw, Hill, Wood, Maeda, and Ryu or McCarthy.  While that is a quality starting rotation on paper, it doesn’t look as nice come playoff time when every team throws out 3-4 top tier starting pitchers.  The Dodgers must decide if they’re willing to pay Yu Darvish after a disastrous World Series or if they will acquire another front-line starting pitcher.

Friedman and company may decide that they are unwilling to pay a free agent massive dollars since the only true front-line starting pitchers in free agency are Darvish and Arrieta. Both are over thirty years old, and Friedman is not a fan of paying pitchers over thirty big money.  The Dodgers showed this year that they want to avoid using Kershaw on short rest in October and the addition of another number two starter would make this possible.