3 massive Dodgers problems the front office needs to address right away

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.

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.

The Dodgers infield defense is not good

Losing Gavin Lux before the season began was sure to be a major blow to the Dodgers' defense up the middle. Miguel Rojas was expected to be nothing more than rotational player, but was instead thrust into a starting role at shortstop.

Now with Rojas on the IL, Dodgers fans have witnessed Mookie Betts playing on the infield dirt. This is far from ideal for LA, and Andrew Friedman is going to have to get on the horn on bring in a new shortstop sooner rather than later.

According to Fielding Bible, the Dodgers rank 22nd in defensive runs saved (DRS) as a team with -4. They're tied with the likes of the Washington Nationals and the Boston Red Sox. That's not good company since both teams are at the bottom of their respective divisions.

Perhaps surprisingly, shortstop appears to be the least of the Dodgers' concerns. LA's shortstops actually have 2 DRS while second and third base have combined for -4 DRS. What's the team's worst fielding position you might ask; pitcher with -6 DRS.

According to Baseball Savant, the Dodgers outfield is doing their job with Betts, David Peralta, James Outman, and Trayce Thompson combining for 4 outs above average (OAA). The infield, however, has accounted for -5 OAA.