3 Dodgers on active roster who won't last all of 2023

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the most compelling teams in baseball heading into the 2023 season. For the first time in half-decade, the Boys in Blue are not the runaway favorites to win the World Series as they did not partake in the spending spree that was prominent this offseason.

Instead, the team's likely desire to get under the luxury tax threshold mixed with a late answer about Trevor Bauer's future has led to a much quieter offseason. With several top prospects knocking on the door, the Dodgers are right to use the 2023 season as a soft reset while remaining competitive.

That being said, the complexion of the Dodgers is undoubtedly going to change over the course of the next year. With the calendar turning into a new year, there are several players on the active roster who likely won't make it to Dec. 31, 2023 in LA — let alone the end of the season.

3 Dodgers on the active roster that won't last all of 2023

3. Trayce Thompson

Perhaps the most controversial player on this list, Trayce Thompson has become a fan favorite once more as he showed up in Los Angeles last season to fill the void that a horrible AJ Pollock trade left behind. Thompson was surprisingly really good for the Dodgers, flashing both a great glove in the field and a productive bat at the plate.

While there's no denying that Thompson was really good last season, it also feels like a bit of fool's gold at this point. Thompson has been a career journeyman who has put together hot stretches in the past only to once again fall off the face of the earth.

Dodgers fans saw the bad side of Thompson in the playoffs as the outfielder went 2-13 at the plate with six strikeouts. It's an impossibly small sample size, but a .466 OPS in the most important games of the season still isn't a great look.

Thompson's strikeout rate is also a bit concerning. He struck out in 36% of his plate appearances last season. Chris Taylor has frustrated fans with his strikeout rate, but his value is exponentially more significant than Thompson's due to his defensive versatility and clutch bat.

It wouldn't be totally shocking if the Thompson of old shows back up in Los Angeles and catches a DFA to make room for someone else on the roster.

2. Shelby Miller

The Dodgers have lost some pretty big names this offseason, and while there have been additions like Noah Syndergaard and J.D. Martinez, Andrew Friedman has also tried to tap into the team's ability to sign reclamation projects and bring them back to life.

Shelby Miller, Jason Heyward and Steven Duggar are all examples of the Dodgers taking a chance on a lesser player and hoping to find untapped potential there. Of the three, Miller is perhaps the most interesting because his performance on the mound has been terrible in recent years with not much to get excited about.

What makes Miller even more interesting as a signing is the fact that he was signed to the 40-man roster. Both Heyward and Duggar got minor league contracts from the Dodgers while Miller was shown more faith.

It's obvious the Dodgers see something they can fix in Miller to turn him into their long-relief arm out of the bullpen. Who knows, perhaps he will follow in Ross Stripling and Tyler Anderson's footsteps and thrive in this role, forcing his way into the starting rotation.

But it's far more likely Miller doesn't piece it together and ends up getting let go by the Dodgers at some point. I absolutely believe in this staff's ability to get the absolute most out of every pitcher, but Miller is the team's biggest project yet.

Plus, not every one of these reclamation projects works out. Guys like Brandon Morrow and Danny Duffy were brought back to Los Angeles and couldn't revive their careers. While it would be great to see Miller turn into an impact arm, he'll likely have the same fate as Morrow.

1. Andre Jackson

Andre Jackson made his MLB debut during the 2021 season and pitched quite well for the Dodgers. Jackson was by no means an elite arm, but he came up into a situation that's tough to succeed in and managed to give the team some quality innings.

With that experience, it seemed like Jackson would get called upon more in 2022 to be that emergency arm to assist the pitching staff. That was not the case, as Ryan Pepiot got those chances more than any other young arm.

Jackson appeared in only four games for the Dodgers, throwing a total of 9.2 innings. All of those games came in September when the roster expanded and the team was just trying to keep other arms fresh. Jackson was good in those innings, but this isn't a good sign for his big-league future in LA.

His performance in Triple-A does not bode well for him, either. Jackson threw 75.2 innings for Oklahoma City in 2022, finishing with a 5.00 ERA and 1.705 WHIP.

The Dodgers have a lot of young arms that are both on the active roster and/or knocking on the door. There are only so many roster spots to give out, and at some point you're going to run out of minor-league options.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the fate for Jackson, as he's simply the odd man out heading into his age-27 season.

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3 Dodgers on the active roster that won't last all of 2023

3. Trayce Thompson

2. Shelby Miller

1. Andre Jackson

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