Dodgers: With Bumgarner gone, what’s next for LA’s rotation?

Go youth movement in the starting rotation

The other option the Dodgers have is that they could skip out on adding a free agent starter altogether.  The rotation currently has plenty of talent with Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Dustin May, and Julio Urias all penciled into the rotation.  Then there is still Ross Stripling and Tony Gonsolin among others.

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The problem with going youth movement in the rotation isn’t talent, it’s limiting innings and making sure youngsters like May and Urias do not burn out and have plenty left in the tank for the postseason.  From a pure stuff standpoint, Julio Urias and Dustin May are better than any of the current free-agent starting pitchers.

If the Dodgers can’t get Ryu back on a fair contract they could choose to skip adding a starting pitcher.  If the club does go the youth movement route, they could choose to keep bolstering their bullpen.  Dellin Betances is still a free agent and the Dodgers have been linked to him.  Betances is looking for a one year deal so he would fit nicely into the Dodgers’ payroll.

The Dodgers have disappointed much of their fanbase by failing to land any star free agents after talking the talk at the Winter Meetings.  Fortunately for both the front office and Dodger fans, there is still a long way to go until pitchers and catchers report in Arizona.  The Dodger rotation could look much different in the spring, or it could look exactly how it does right now.