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3 remaining team needs for the Dodgers after signing Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow
The Dodgers shocked the world when they signed Shohei Ohtani to a record 10-year, $700 million contract. Even after Ohtani was rumored to join the Blue Jays at the 11th hour, LA's appeals to Ohtani turned out to be enough to persuade the superstar ostensibly finish his career with the Dodgers.
The signing of the two-time AL MVP and three-time All-Star was one of the most anticipated free agency decisions in major sports history, and Ohtani's extremely team-friendly contract reaffirmed his commitment to winning.
Ohtani going to the Dodgers now has LA as the odds-on favorites to win the World Series in 2024. But as all baseball fans know, pitching wins in the postseason. Ohtani's injury recovery timeline will prohibit him from taking the mound for the Dodgers in 2024, but he's expected to return to pitching in 2025.
While the Dodgers may be favored to win the World Series, they still have some holes to fill around the edges of the roster before they can truly be ready to make a run.
3 remaining team needs for the Dodgers after signing Shohei Ohtani
Starting Pitching
This team need is beyond obvious because, well, every team could always use another pitcher or two or three. Injuries happen, and even rotations that seem unstoppable at the beginning of the season have a chance of falling apart before (or during) the playoffs. It's a long season, and then you throw in pitching on short rest when the games get even more important. But, in the Dodgers' case, after a postseason exit where their starting pitchers combined to allow 13 earned runs in 4.2 innings, the need for more starting pitching in LA has never been bigger.
The good news for the Dodgers is that there are many appealing options on the trade market and in free agency. Tyler Glasnow might be injury prone, but the Dodgers chose to take the risk and add an extension to their trade package for him, comfortable with Ohtani returning to the rotation in 2025 to mitigate risk somewhat. Despite adding one top-tier name, the Dodgers probably should not be done, and could turn to the White Sox and Brewers to more aggressively discuss Dylan Cease and Corbin Burnes.
If nothing works out on the trade market, however, the Dodgers still have other options. Japanese superstar free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto met with the Dodgers recently, and could be even more likely to join LA as the deferrals in Ohtani's contract have given the Dodgers more financial flexibility. If Yamamoto's asking price is still too high, Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell are also attractive (but expensive options) on the market. Michael Wacha, Michael Lorenzen, and Lucas Giolito are a few examples of options that the Dodgers could look at to solidify the rotation that would definitely be less expensive than Yamamoto, Snell and Montgomery. Regardless of who LA signs, getting multiple pitchers to utilize in the rotation with Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller is essential.
Corner Outfielder
While James Outman's emergence as a rookie in 2023 was a major revelation for the Dodgers, the need for another outfielder is still there. Jason Heyward signed another one-year deal with LA, but shortly after that news was announced, Dave Roberts talked about the Dodgers' plan to have Mookie Betts play as an everyday second baseman. That leaves the Dodgers with Outman playing in center field, and presumably Heyward and Chris Taylor playing right and left field.
Taylor, however, has always been most valuable as a utility player who moves around the diamond playing wherever the Dodgers need him. It's also likely that the Dodgers won't have Heyward play against lefties. So who could fill the void in the outfield? A reunion with Cody Bellinger is very unlikely for myriad reasons, but the Dodgers have many options. Manuel Margot of the Rays was packaged with Tyler Glasnow in a blockbuster deal, but that still leaves Chris Taylor on an island in left field.
Once again, the Dodgers could just go the free agency route. While Teoscar Hernandez, Jorge Soler and Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. might be too pricy considering the Dodgers' likelihood to focus on elevating the rotation before the end of free agency, perhaps LA considers reunions with fan-favorites Kiké Hernandez and Joc Pederson. Adam Duvall, Whit Merrifield and Tommy Pham are some other names the Dodgers could look at who are coming off strong seasons to fill this spot, but regardless of the addition, this roster won't be complete until there's a fourth reliable option in the outfield.
High-Leverage Relievers
Blake Treinen may be on his way to a return this season, and the Dodgers re-signed Joe Kelly already, but the team still needs to strengthen the back end of the bullpen. Evan Phillips and Brusdar Graterol did an amazing job holding down the late innings in 2023, but outside of those two, the Dodgers couldn't find much consistency. Shelby Miller was good when he was healthy and Ryan Brasier had an amazing turnaround after his departure from the Red Sox, but they're both free agents.
With Miller and Brasier coming off strong seasons, there's a possibility their market values are too high for the Dodgers to bring them back. If LA doesn't re-sign either, the void in the bullpen gets even larger. The Dodgers have already signed Daniel Hudson (to a minor-league deal) to start addressing this need, however, there are a few big names they could pursue to reinforce the bullpen and create an elite 7th-8th-9th inning set up. Aroldis Chapman and Josh Hader (who the Dodgers are reportedly interested in) are available closers who have been All-Stars in multiple years and could be intriguing fits for the Dodgers.
If they really want to show they're going all-in for 2024, signing Hader would definitely do just that. However, If LA makes expensive signings elsewhere (i.e. Yamamoto, Cease + an extension, etc.), there are other options that could help the Dodgers. Adam Ottavino, Matt Moore and Hector Neris, to name a few, are potential relievers the Dodgers may monitor who have a lot experience and would not be too expensive to sign. Regardless of who the Dodgers end up signing, the pitching staff will likely need some adjustments before the trade deadline if they can't fill the void adequately during free agency.
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