Pitchers the Dodgers could sign to replace injured Walker Buehler in 2023

3. Taijuan Walker

If the Dodgers want to go a cheaper route and build up the rotation in numbers, then Taijuan Walker could be a solid option. Walker is by no means a journeyman pitcher that the Dodgers are trying to unlock like Tyler Anderson. Instead, he is someone who has been solid (and elite at times) over the last two seasons that the Dodgers could maximize even more.

Walker is definitely not going to come into LA and be the true No. 1 that Walker Buehler can be, but with how the Dodgers maximize pitchers, Walker could regain his first-half 2021 form that made him one of the best pitchers in the National League.

Walker, who has a 3.36 ERA this season, had a 2.66 ERA with an opponents’ OPS of .573 in the first half last season. With the track record that the Dodgers have, it is not absurd to say that they could get a sub-3.00 ERA season out of Walker.

The expectation if the team went this route would be that Julio Urías steps up as the ace with Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin providing other solid options. How the team would round up the rest of the rotation is interesting, as it could be a myriad of expiring contracts that the team re-signs or prospects that are called up.