With a couple of spring training games in the books, including a 14-1 blowout against the Padres to open Cactus League play, the Dodgers are rolling. They have the unique luxury of being almost completely set with their roster from top to bottom. The offseason additions supplemented the talent that was already there, and a handful of exciting rookies make the future of the club seem bright. Four of the game's biggest free agents are still floating around out there, waiting to be signed, but the Dodgers are set.
The 26-man roster they land on by Opening Day probably won't contain many surprises. The rotation is complete, and the infield, outfield, and bench are no different. There is still some amount of intrigue around the last couple of bullpen spots. The unit will be led by Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, and Joe Kelly, with good options in the middle, but the last few spots still feel up for grabs.
Dodgers 2024 Opening Day roster projection 1.0: Battle for last bullpen spots
Dodgers Starting Rotation
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- Tyler Glasnow
- Bobby Miller
- James Paxton
- Emmet Sheehan
No surprises here. Yamamoto and Glasnow were two of the Dodgers' biggest gets of the offseason, and are expected to make their Dodger debuts in Seoul on March 20-21. Miller earned himself a spot in the middle of pack (for now, at least) with his 120+ innings pitched last year.
The fourth and fifth rotation spots could go either way; if Paxton is healthy and ready to go by Opening Day — and all parties believe that he will be — he'll undoubtedly make as many starts as he can in order to get his earnings on the year up to $11 million. Sheehan didn't look fantastic over 60 innings pitched in 2023, but the Dodgers will definitely be looking to give him more of a drive while they wait for Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw to recover.