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Los Angeles Dodgers: 3 biggest holes that must be filled this offseason

By Jason Reed |
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 14: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers stands for the national anthem before game 5 of the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on October 14, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 14: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers stands for the national anthem before game 5 of the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on October 14, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers /

The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off of a disappointing NLCS defeat at the hands of the 2021 World Series Champion Atlanta Braves. While the Braves are undoubtedly deserving of the World Series trophy, there is no denying that the Dodgers were the most talented team in the league all season.

Andrew Friedman and the front office have done a tremendous job of building a talented and deep roster. While the team got cold at the wrong time, it is hard to look at last year’s roster and notice any significant holes.

Baseball is a game of mitigating holes and mistakes, so that is extremely impressive.

That is going to change this offseason, though, as there are a lot of moving parts that the Dodgers have to address. There are nine significant free agents that the team is going to have to decide the future of, and some of them are naturally going to leave.

There are some big holes that the Los Angeles Dodgers have to fill this offseason.

It is going to be a crazy ride. The Dodgers have already signed former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney to a one-year, $8 million deal, so who knows what is up Friedman’s sleeve? He always seems to find the best hidden gems and he will probably end up filling these holes in the most unconventional way.

Let’s jump into the three holes that the Dodgers have to fill this offseason.

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers /

3. Backend rotation help

This was originally going to be higher on the list, but with the team already addressing it, we bumped it to the third spot. The Los Angeles Dodgers have consistently been known for being a great pitching team, and the back half of the rotation is currently up in the air.

It is safe to assume that Heaney is going to help in some capacity. The Dodgers always run with 6-7 starting pitchers, knowing that someone is always going to be hurt and miss some starts, and Heaney fits perfectly into being that sixth or seventh guy.

While he has potential and has shown flashes of having really good stuff, Heaney has not been consistent at all in his career. Entrusting him to be the fourth or fifth starter is a scary risk for the Dodgers to take.

As of right now, the 2022 rotation is going to be Walker Buehler, Julio Urías, Dustin May (at some point), Andrew Heaney and Tony Gonsolin. With Heaney’s past and Gonsolin’s recent playoff performance, the Dodgers need more help.

That help could be in-house if the team decides to re-sign Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw. Even if those two regress, it really helps the depth of the starting rotation by adding two veteran arms to a rotation that right now is pretty young.

Kershaw would be the fifth-best starter in that rotation if they brought back he and Scherzer, which is saying something about how talented that group would be.

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers /

2. Right-handed depth bats

The Los Angeles Dodgers have plenty of right-handed bats that they can start in the starting nine. Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Will Smith and AJ Pollock are all locked in for next season. It is the depth of the right-handed bats that needs to be addressed.

The Dodgers have pinch-hit options when it comes to the left side of the plate. Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy and Gavin Lux are all going to play a lot. The team still has the likes of Matt Beaty, Edwin Rios, Billy McKinney and potentially even Michael Busch to hit from the left side of the plate off the bench.

What they don’t have is a good right-handed bench bat. Chris Taylor is a free agent and might have priced himself out of LA, and outside of that, there really are not any good options… at all. Obviously, a bench bat is not going to be elite, but they need someone who can mash left-handed pitching.

That is why Albert Pujols should be brought back. Pujols adds that right-handed bat to mash left-handed pitching, and with the universal DH likely coming, we might see him play more against left-handed pitching.

It would be nice to see the team add one more solid right-handed bat to the fold. The Dodgers have always been a team that prides themselves on depth and versatility, and they need to replace the role that Taylor and Enrique Hernandez have played the last two seasons.

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers /

1. Late bullpen arms

Kenley Jansen is a free agent this offseason and it would be legitimately shocking to see him return to the Dodgers. Jansen had a tremendous season and postseason for LA in 2021 and that is naturally going to drive his price up with a team that needs a closer.

Re-signing Jansen five years ago was reportedly an ownership call, and if the front office was hesitant to re-sign Jansen in 2016, they are definitely not going to overpay for him when he is five years older.

That leaves a massive hole at the closer position that has been filled by Jansen for nearly a decade. Someone is going to have to take the ball in the ninth inning. Having good arms to throw late in games can legitimately be the difference between a 100-win team and a 90-win team, and that is why this is so important.

The leading candidate to take over the closer position is Blake Treinen, who has been pretty good in LA and is in the last year of his contract. However, Treinen has been the high-leverage relief arm in the postseason and the set-up man in the regular season. That role has to be replaced as well.

Next. Dodgers' latest move hints at Kershaw's departure. dark

Brusdar Graterol is a candidate and a good one, but the Dodgers need more options than that, especially considering Joe Kelly is a free agent and the team doesn’t really have any great left-handed relievers.

Only time will tell how the Dodgers address this — with a sure thing for multiple years? With another big swing like Tommy Kahnle? Stay tuned.

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