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.

The Los Angeles Dodgers should extend Julio Urías as soon as possible.

Urías, 26, is only a few years removed from being dangerously close to earning a "bust" label from Dodgers fans. He had shown boatloads of promise as a 19-year-old in 2016, but failed to stay healthy on a consistent basis up until essentially the 2021 season (though his 2020 postseason in relief was much appreciated).

In that year, he broke out in a big way, winning 20 games and posting a 2.96 ERA in a full 32-start season. He finished seventh in the NL Cy Young Award voting and suddenly had re-established himself as one of the more promising left-handers in the game.

In 2022, he followed up the performance from the year prior with an even better season. In 31 starts, he went 17-7 with a 2.16 ERA and 194 ERA+, both enough to lead all National League pitchers. This time, he finished third in the Cy Young voting and even earned himself some MVP votes.

What makes Urías such an obvious extension candidate is the fact that he's still so young. It's truly insane to think that this year will be his eighth in the league and he's still only 26 years of age. There's a real sense here that his dominance on the mound is only just beginning.

Add in the fact that he is set to become a free agent at season's end, and you have a young stud that needs a long-term deal. Money will not be an issue for this Dodgers club (yes, even with Shohei Ohtani waiting). It's just going to come down to how badly the team wants Urías to be their answer atop the rotation once a player like Clayton Kershaw chooses to hang up his cleats.