Dodgers 2024 Opening Day roster projection 1.0: Battle for last bullpen spots

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.

Dodgers Bullpen

• Evan Phillips
• Brusdar Graterol
• Joe Kelly
• Ryan Brasier
• Alex Vesia
• Blake Treinen
• JP Feyereisen
• Gavin Stone

Dave Roberts has said that he thinks the Dodgers' bullpen will be one of the team's strengths this year, and looking at this selection of players, it's easy to see why. Phillips, Graterol, Kelly, and Brasier are the ringers, though Brasier will be looking to prove that his 38 2/3 innings with a 0.70 ERA last year weren't a fluke. Vesia was shaky at the beginning of last season, but his history of greatness in 2021 and 2022 will be likely to motivate the Dodgers to keep him as he makes (albeit unevenly split) appearances as a closer between Phillips, Graterol, and Kelly.

Treinen and Feyereisen are both coming off of injury, and Stone's future seems dependent on how he looks in spring training. Treinen feels like a lock, as he had a great 2021 with the Dodgers before he got hurt and he doesn't have minor league options left. Feyereisen's future may be a bit more nebulous; the Dodgers picked him up partway through his recovery from a rotator cuff surgery and he didn't pitch at all last year. Stone will also be fighting with Gus Varland and fellow top prospect Michael Grove for a final bullpen spot, which could add a little intrigue toward Opening Day.

Dodgers Infield

• Freddie Freeman (1B)
• Mookie Betts (2B)
• Gavin Lux (SS)
• Max Muncy (3B)
• Will Smith (C)

• Shohei Ohtani (DH)

Again, no surprises. Freeman, Muncy, and Smith have been fixtures of the Dodgers' infield for some time, and with Betts moving to second and Lux coming back from ACL surgery to play at short, there's little room for any infield prospects to try to break into. Betts, Lux, and Muncy could shift a bit between second and third, and Chris Taylor and Miguel Rojas might get fill-in starts at any one of them, but the Dodgers infield is pretty much primed and ready to go. Ohtani won't play the field this year, but his presence in the lineup is a given.