5 former Dodgers that will have a shot at securing 2023 World Series ring

The 2023 World Series is set. The Arizona Diamondbacks will battle the Texas Rangers in one of the most improbable matchups in modern history. For the first time since 2016, the Fall Classic will not feature the Los Angeles Dodgers or Houston Astros. Wild to think about.

BUT ... one of those teams has a pretty large imprint on the upcoming matchup. The Dodgers have plenty of former players suiting up with a chance to capture their first (or second) championship ring. Some are obvious. Some you might've forgotten about.

Without question, though? ALL of them could've played key roles on the 2023 Dodgers, who found themselves lost when the calendar flipped. At the very least, some could've provided much-needed depth -- another area the Dodgers were lacking in -- as the long season wore on.

There are lessons to be learned from both of these teams for the Dodgers. The D-Backs executed a near-flawless youth movement that only got better as the year progressed. The Rangers went all in during free agency and at the trade deadline to get the right players and supplement their talented roster.

The Dodgers' youth movement? Kind of hit or miss. The Dodgers' endeavors in free agency and via trades? A lot left to be desired. Either way, for LA fans' rooting interest in this year's World Series, these players have direct Dodgers ties.

5 former Dodgers that will have a shot at securing 2023 World Series ring

Josh Sborz

Another unfortunate ripple effect from the Trevor Bauer signing. Will that haunt the Dodgers forever? Sborz was designated for assignment shortly before the 2021 season to make room for Bauer on the 40-man roster.

Days later, the Rangers came calling, and the right-hander was traded to Texas for minor-league pitcher Jhan Zambrano. There's little information on Zambrano, but he hasn't pitched for the Dodgers since 2022 and just resurfaced in the Venezuelan Winter League (it's unclear, but he might've been injured).

Either way, this was a considerable loss for the Dodgers. Bauer made just 17 starts before his suspension, while Sborz thrived in his first full season with the Rangers. Though he's been pretty bad the last two years, he's emerged as a go-to option for Bruce Bochy in the postseason, hurling 9.2 innings and allowing just one run on two hits and four walks. Not sure how that happened, but this is life now.

Andrew Heaney

The HeanDog! Dodgers fans may not miss him, but the left-hander certainly could've played an important role eating innings for the starting rotation this year as injuries continued to pile up (presuming he would've stayed healthy himself).

Heaney appeared in 34 games (28 starts) this season after signing a one-year, $12.5 million contract with a player option for 2024. In 2022, he couldn't stay healthy for the Dodgers, but he logged a 3.10 ERA, 3.75 FIP and 1.09 WHIP in 16 games (14 starts).

In Texas, he's been good for a 4.15 ERA, 4.66 FIP and 1.38 WHIP. Not great, but his 147 innings proved valuable following the losses of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Heaney also held his own against the Orioles in the ALDS, allowing one run on one hit and a walk over 3.2 innings of work. He got knocked around by the Astros in the ALCS in his lone start, but he was able to come on in relief in garbage time later in the series to help preserve the bullpen.

He has one career start against the D-Backs, which came last year, and he got rocked (4.2 IP, 6 ER, 4 H, 4 BB), so we'll see how it plays out for him, Cotton.

Nathan Eovaldi

Nathan Eovaldi got away from the Dodgers what feels like a million times. The right-hander debuted with the Dodgers in 2011. He was drafted by LA and came up in the system. Then, he was traded to the Miami Marlins in the Hanley Ramirez deal in the middle of the 2012 season. He remained with Miami through the 2014 season and was then traded to the New York Yankees.

The Yankees released him after 2016, when he needed Tommy John surgery. Eovaldi then resurfaced with the Rays in 2018 before he was dealt to the Boston Red Sox midway through the season ... and the rest is history.

He helped take the Dodgers down in the 2018 World Series, then became a free agent this past offseason after Boston extended him in the wake of that Fall Classic. He was there for the taking and LA knew pitching was a massive priority for them. Instead, they let him sign a two-year, $34 million deal with Texas, and he's continued to thrive on the biggest stages in October.

Sure would've been nice had the Dodgers either kept him or reunited with him down the road. Their fortunes could've been very different between 2013 and now.

Max Scherzer

The lone, indisputable villain on this list is Max Scherzer, who spent the second half of 2021 with the Dodgers after coming over at the trade deadline. He was an unstoppable force for LA through the NLDS. Then, the NLCS arrived and he let everybody down.

His lackluster outing against the Braves certainly wasn't what the Dodgers paid a premium to acquire, and nor was his decision to sit out because of a dead arm. That wasn't an issue, though, until he decided to call out the Dodgers for how he was utilized following the season.

It became apparent Scherzer's actions were more of a ploy to preserve himself for free agency that year, considering he backtracked on his criticism of the Dodgers as a result of his "injury." He signed a record deal with the Mets, completely blew their postseason chances in 2022, got off to a terrible start in 2023, and was then sent to the Rangers at this year's deadline for Luisangel Acuña.

Scherzer missed the Wild Card Series and ALDS with a shoulder injury, but returned for Game 3 of the ALCS after five weeks on the shelf. He completely shifted the momentum when the Astros shelled him in that game, but he redeemed himself with a competent showing in Game 7 that was won by the offense (and Jordan Montgomery's gutsy relief appearance).

It's safe to say Dodgers fans wil not be rooting for Scherzer whenever he's on the mound this World Series.