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

It was announced on Tuesday that Los Angeles Dodgers‘ right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery and would miss the rest of the 2022 season and most likely the entire 2023 season. This is Buehler’s second Tommy John surgery (his first came in 2015), and it typically takes longer for a second Tommy John to heal.

Los Angeles can survive without him this season thanks to huge years from the likes of Tony Gonsolin, Tyler Anderson and Julio Urías. Getting Dustin May and a (hopefully) healthy Clayton Kershaw for October is huge as well.

However, the team is in an interesting spot for the 2023 season. Anderson, Kershaw and Andrew Heaney are all free agents, depleting the team’s starting pitching depth. As good as Tony Gonsolin is, the team cannot completely bank on him doing this again, and after examining the list of arms, it quickly becomes clear that they might need to go out and make a splashy free-agent signing.

The starting pitching market is not great this offseason, but there are still some options.

Here are 4 pitchers the Los Angeles Dodgers could sign to replace injured Walker Buehler in 2023:

4. Carlos Rodón

Carlos Rodón is by far the best option for the Los Angeles Dodgers if they are going to spend big in free agency for a starting pitcher in the winter. The southpaw Cy Young candidate signed a two-year, $44 million contract with the San Francisco Giants last offseason after a breakout year with the Chicago White Sox.

Rodón has proven that he can continue to pitch at that high level this season with another great showing on the Giants. With how he is pitching this season, there is no doubt that Rodón is going to exercise his player option and sign a new deal.

That is where the Dodgers can swoop in and get the best of both worlds. They would have someone to help atop the rotation next season, but would also have a knockout lefty that can be a consistent part of the rotation for years to come. With Clayton Kershaw getting up there in age, having another lefty like Rodón would be huge.

If I had to guess based on his age and how he has pitched, I would guess that Rodon will sign somewhere around a five-year, $140 million contract this offseason ($28 million per season). With money coming off the books, LA can afford it.

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.

1. Jacob deGrom

The best pitcher on the planet ranked No. 4 on this list? Jacob deGrom would start many teams’ free-agent wishlists, but for the Dodgers, there are several options that fit what the team needs better than deGrom does.

There is no denying that deGrom is the most talented pitcher on the planet, and when he is on and is healthy, he is nearly unhittable. The problem is that he has not been healthy very often, but his name and talent are going to get him a fat contract this offseason.

deGrom is a lot older than people realize as well, as he peaked later in his career. deGrom is literally two months younger than Clayton Kershaw, but the consensus around Kershaw is that he is a grizzled veteran while deGrom is in his prime. While deGrom does not have the miles that Kershaw has, he has the same injury concerns.

We see how Kershaw’s market is every year, despite him continuing to pitch at a high level. Last season, all he got from the Dodgers was a one-year, $17 million contract. deGrom will likely get much more than that, as a five-year, $200 million contract cannot be out of the picture.

In fact, deGrom will probably try and beat Max Scherzer’s record AAV and would probably shoot for an AAV of $44 million, making his five-year deal worth $220 million.

With all of the injury concerns and the fact that he is already 34, signing deGrom to that kind of contract doesn’t make the most sense for the Dodgers as a one-year fix for Walker Buehler being out.

Yes, Rodón is going to command a similar contract, but he is four years younger than deGrom and has been consistently elite the last two seasons.

4 Dodgers who could get axed from 2022 playoff roster (as of August)

The Los Angeles Dodgers need to start preparing their postseason roster for 2022 and these four players could potentially be on the chopping block.

However, at the end of the day, he is still Jacob deGrom and the Dodgers still have massive pockets, so he cannot completely be ruled out.