Well, the 2023 season has started off less than ideal for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Injuries have certainly had an effect during the early going, but that not the only thing holding this team back.
The Dodgers are hovering around .500 and the only good news is that the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres are treading water at the moment as well. That's not going to be the case forever, though.
Los Angeles needs to figure some things out, and fast. Let's look at three massive problems that have plagued the Dodgers so far in 2023. The front office is going to need to address these concerns as soon as possible.
3 massive Dodgers problems the front office needs to address right away
The Dodgers are allowing too many stolen bases
The new rules instituted by Major League Baseball were designed to increase action on the base paths. They've certainly done that, and much to the dismay of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. His team leads the league in stolen bases allowed (38).
Now, this isn't just an issue that can be solved by getting a catcher with a stronger arm. You can easily argue that a stolen base is as much, if not more so, the responsibility of the pitcher on the mound than it is the catcher behind the dish.
Based on his recent conversation with Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (subscription required), Roberts has basically conceded the stolen base, especially to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Bucs swiped a dozen bags in their most recent series against LA.
"Right now I don’t know the answer. The best answer is to try to keep them off first base, but once they get there, they’re taking advantage of us."Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager
Hopefully, for LA's sake, when Will Smith returns from the 7-day IL, opposing teams won't try to exploit the Dodgers in this way. But again, the pitching staff needs to clean this up.