6 Dodgers players fighting for their futures ahead of 2024 season

The Dodgers went through their first round of roster cuts earlier this week, slimming down competition for a few remaining bullpen and bench spots significantly. The 11 players who were optioned back to the minors or sent to minor league camp were mostly unsurprising, so it begs the question of who'll get the boot next, and whether such a move could actually catch us off guard.

Most of the competition is in the bullpen, but there's also one player who will have to work even harder to justify his presence on the bench. With only two weeks to go before the Seoul Series, competition is undoubtedly heating up dramatically for a few of these players.

6 Dodgers players fighting for their futures ahead of 2024 season

Michael Grove/Gus Varland

Grove, Varland, and Gavin Stone found themselves in similar positions going into spring training. All three were coming off less-than-ideal 2023 seasons, having effectively been edged out of the rotation conversation by free agent signings, and are fighting for the last few spots in a bullpen that's also seen a lot of improvement this offseason. Stone has fared well so far in spring, while Grove and Varland have struggled significantly.

Both had 6.00-ish ERAs last season (though Grove pitched 69 innings and Varland pitched 20 1/3), and they have an 11.57 and 9.82 ERAs in spring training over 4 2/3 and 3 2/3 innings respectively. Grove might still have the edge because he was a serviceable enough starter for 12 games last year while also having the proven flexibility of a swingman, but both should definitely be worried about NRIs like Daniel Hudson and TJ McFarland creeping up to steal Opening Day roster spots.

Both still have at least two minor-league options, so the Dodgers wouldn't have to hesitate in cutting them ahead of Opening Day. There are still two weeks to go before Seoul, but that doesn't leave an abundance of time for Grove and Varland to shape up.

Matt Gage

Gage came over in the trade that sent Caleb Ferguson to the Yankees, but his arrival was almost immediately overshadowed by Ryan Brasier's re-signing with the Dodgers. This isn't particularly surprising; Gage has been a farmhand for a number of different organizations since 2014 and didn't get a shot at the major leagues until 2022, when he impressed over 13 innings for Toronto. It wasn't enough to save him from a DFA, though, which kicked him over to Houston, who gave him the ball a few more times in the majors before DFA'ing him to make room for Josh Hader this offseason. The Yankees grabbed him, but less than a week later, he was traded to the Dodgers.

He's pitched four innings in spring training so far, posting a 4.50 ERA. It's better than Hudson, Crismatt, Grove, or Varland over more innings, but it still might not be enough to earn him one of those last few 26-man spots. He'd certainly fit into the Dodgers reclamation mold and could surprise by breaking out of camp, but with an MiLB option remaining, he could also be another easy send-down.

Miguel Vargas

Vargas' future has seemed to be in danger since the beginning of camp, when the team announced their intention to move him into left field, but things got even more precarious when the Dodgers re-signed Kiké Hernández to occupy a bench spot. That would give the Dodgers Hernández, Miguel Rojas, Chris Taylor, and Austin Barnes on the bench; adding Vargas would mean having to subtract a bullpen arm, which would make the competition there even more fierce.

He's looked pretty good over seven spring training games, batting .278/.350/.556 and making a couple of nice grabs in left, but he's facing the challenge of justifying not only his presence on the bench but the absence of a bullpen arm. It seems most likely that Vargas will start the season in the minors and be an easy choice to call up in the event of injury, but he hasn't been cut yet, so he's still fighting to make it to Opening Day.