1 contract extension the Dodgers should make soon and 1 to avoid

The big, bad Los Angeles Dodgers don't quite have the top-level talent that the 2022 squad had, but the club is still stacked from top to bottom.

The 2023 offense is already being carried by players like Will Smith, Trayce Thompson, Jason Heyward and James Outman. Smith is the only player that entered the year with a guaranteed spot on the roster, so this production is somewhat surprising (but most welcomed) from some of the other contributors.

Gavin Lux, the club's promising middle infielder who was finally in line for some consistent playing time now that Trea Turner had moved on, went down with a gruesome injury in Spring Training that will keep him out for the entire year.

Other spots in the lineup are being occupied by a bunch of players on the wrong side of 30, including JD Martinez, David Peralta, Miguel Rojas, Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes, not to mention superstar-level players like Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.

The pitching staff has already been ravaged by injuries and the season is nary a week old. As of right now, eight pitchers are on the injured list, and three of them are on the 60-day IL.

Leading the staff is Julio Urías who, once again, is flashing ace-level stuff. He, like the aforementioned Smith, are beginning to fall under the "extension candidate" category. Both players are of extreme importance to the team in both the short and long-term.

Whether it's apparent on the surface or not, one of these gentlemen should be extended as soon as possible, while one deal should be avoided. Let's dive into it and see which one could actually be out the door rather than being extended.