4 Dodgers who are playing their way out of the team's 2024 plans

We hate to point out the bad because the Los Angeles Dodgers are having a great season, but there still remain numerous holes on this roster that need to be addressed in the offseason (since the front office opted not to, or wasn't able to, address them at the trade deadline).

The Dodgers luckily have countless high performers on offense that mask the black holes as well as the poor pitching, which has been the team's saving grace in 2023. They've been so good, in fact, that they have the second-best record in the National League despite the 19th-best ERA in MLB.

It's obvious changes on the pitching staff are needed. The Dodgers certainly didn't do enough on that front at the deadline and will probably be dipping into this year's free agent pool with both Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urías set to hit the open market.

But we can expect alterations to the lineup/depth too. Not everybody on a given roster needs to be an above-average thumper, but they also can't be daily liabilities, which is a minor issue holding LA back from its ceiling at the moment. The reality is that it would take very little effort to patch up these unforeseen holes that have persisted in 2023.

The writing's already on the wall. Hopefully nobody else makes a convincing case for the boot in the offseason, but right now, it's looking like these players could be casualties in a few months.

4 Dodgers who are playing their way out of the team's 2024 plans

Miguel Rojas

Rojas, acquired in an offseason trade with the Marlins, was initially expected to be a depth piece for the Dodgers behind Gavin Lux and Miguel Vargas in the middle infield (and there were probably plans to give him third base reps if needed).

But before the season even started, Rojas was tasked with taking over the starting shortstop job when Lux tore his ACL. Months later, Vargas was demoted to Triple-A, as his struggles became untenable on the big-league roster. Rojas' magnified role has not helped him whatsoever.

His defense has been great, but he's wielding a bat that's currently hitting .224/.277/.287. He has one home run, 16 RBI and a 53 OPS+ in 85 games ... which is right in line with his declining numbers from 2022. The Dodgers extended him for another year after trading for him, but they'll have to revisit their decision.

Rojas is certainly an influential veteran voice to have in the clubhouse, but the Dodgers have a ton of those. Finding a new home for Rojas and upgrading the backup shortstop position/finding a new utility infielder needs to be on the offseason docket.

Yency Almonte

If pretty much having your job threatened by the manager isn't enough of a tell for you, then you'll just have to wait and see how the Dodgers handle Yency Almonte when November arrives. This year, the Dodgers' bullpen was poorly constructed and was also destroyed by bad luck/injuries, so Almonte's 5.24 ERA, 4.72 FIP and 1.38 WHIP have remained safe for no other reason than the relief corps needing bodies.

The right-hander is making $1.5 million this season and will be heading into his second year of arbitration eligibility when the offseason arrives. The Dodgers can certainly make better use of that money, even if it means stomaching another Andrew Friedman low-risk, high-reward bounce-back signing. Fans don't want that, but there's no real reason the Dodgers can trust Almonte to get back on track since he's never had back-to-back productive campaigns in his career.

A simple non-tender here will do. It'll save the Dodgers money, open up a roster spot, and allow them to better deepen their bullpen, which has now been a significant weakness for two straight seasons.

Austin Barnes

Another small-scale extension that might burn the Dodgers is the one that was given to Austin Barnes last offseason. But the Dodgers are probably better off eating $3.5 million (if they can't find a trade partner) to find a better backup option.

Barnes is signed through 2024, but being Clayton Kershaw's good buddy will only get you so far when you're sporting a .124 average, .145 slugging percentage, and 0 OPS+ in 40 games. Nobody expected his offense to be this bad, but Barnes was always well below average. He was never a contributor with his bat. The Dodgers never really needed to spend to keep him, especially with Will Smith in the fold and a glut of catching prospects waiting in the wings. We're not sure why this was their decision.

The case could be made that Barnes' very infrequent playing time isn't helping him, but such is the life as a backup catcher. It's the job. And for Barnes to be no better than anybody out there (besides hitters that are somehow sporting negative OPS+ marks) is a telltale sign that the end of his time in LA should be coming to an end. He's been with the organization since 2015 and has logged one acceptable season, as well as a portion of a season in 2020.

If the Dodgers don't fix this very obvious and catastrophic roster deficiency, then it's worth questioning what dirt Barnes may have on the organization.