Dodgers News: Dave Roberts, Andrew Friedman Talk 6-Man Rotation
One of the biggest talking points entering the offseason was the state of the Dodgers starting rotation. It caused a ton of issues for Los Angeles last season, so the front office made it a point to prioritize adding more talent.
The team went out to acquire Tyler Glasnow to head the rotation, signed Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto and signed veteran James Paxton. They also re-signed Clayton Kershaw and will be getting Walker Buehler back from injury.
Not to mention that they still have second-year starters Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan, who are ready to show what they can do. However, even with all the talent, the Dodgers aren't expected to run with a six-man rotation.
“Because then you have a seven-man ‘pen,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said of the idea. “It’s gonna be a little bit of a shell game. But we feel really good with the depth and quality of arms that we have. And there will be periods where having more length in the ‘pen serves us when we’re playing a lot of games in a row, and others where we have a lot of days off and can go a lot shorter. There are gonna be a lot of conversations that we have to put ourselves in the best position to win baseball games.”
The Dodgers have a lot of depth in their pitching staff but still do have some questions. Paxton and Glasnow both have had their share of injuries in the past, Buehler is returning from Tommy John surgery, Yamamoto has never thrown a pitch in the big leagues, Kershaw won't return until at least July and the other two arms are young.
Los Angeles will need to find different ways to utilize the guys within the pitching staff, with each using different methods for success. Some pitch better on shorter rest or extra days off, so using a six-man rotation may not be ideal.
“I think the downside is just kind of when you do that, with off days, there are other guys that don’t need all that extra time,” Roberts said. “So you’re just kind of … trying to be as sensitive to everyone and that middle – to get guys ample time in between starts but also not giving certain guys too much time. So there’s a little middle that you’re trying to deal with.”
Whatever the Dodgers decide to do with their starting rotation, they have options. It's more than they could have said last season, so they will take what they have.
