PHOENIX — On the finish of an in any other case celebratory offseason, the Dodgers needed to take a essential take a look at one in all their greatest organizational flaws this winter.
Within the weeks main as much as spring coaching, group officers engaged in what they described as a “deep dive” into their spate of pitching accidents lately. They referred to as conferences involving membership executives, pitching coaches and medical personnel. Collectively, they tried to diagnose the causes — and brainstorm potential options — to an damage disaster that has impacted the baseball world at giant, however ravaged their pitching workers greater than some other MLB group during the last a number of seasons.
“We dove pretty deep,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman stated final week, because the Dodgers gathered at Camelback Ranch for one more season that could possibly be outlined by their capacity to remain wholesome on the mound. “We were able to have some substantive discussions.”
It stays to be seen how fruitful that examination proves to be.
Whereas Friedman stated the group recognized “some things we’ll do differently,” he additionally acknowledged there was no “Ah-ha! We’ve figured it out” second. He stated the membership’s probe into the issue will proceed throughout spring coaching, after they plan to “create little groups to dive in on various things.” On the identical time, he countered, “there are obviously some big macro issues that are a lot harder” to unravel fully.
“There’s a lot going on in youth baseball that is different than how we would set it up or how Major League Baseball would set it up,” Friedman stated, referencing how an industrywide emphasis on velocity and spin has led younger pitchers to coach in a means that makes them extra prone to accidents early of their skilled profession.
“The chicken or egg on how those things get untangled, and momentum shifted a different way, is a much bigger question,” Friedman continued. “It’s easier for us to control how things operate within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.”
Long run, such organizational modifications may are available myriad sides — from minor league improvement strategies, to relaxation and restoration routines between outings for large leaguers, to even the way in which the Dodgers consider potential draft picks.
“It’s not like we’re going to have a few more meetings here and go, ‘Alright, we’re good,’” Friedman stated. “It’s going to be omnipresent for us.”
Within the quick time period, nevertheless, the Dodgers are counting on a less complicated technique to attempt to mitigate damage dangers on the mound in 2025.
Depth. Heaps and plenty and plenty of depth.
This offseason, the vast majority of the Dodgers’ practically half-billion {dollars} of spending was allotted to the pitching workers. Two-time Cy Younger Award winner Blake Snell and 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki have been added to the beginning rotation. Within the bullpen, the group re-signed Blake Treinen earlier than including two of the highest veteran relievers on the free-agent market, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates.
The result’s a roster that features as many as 12 at present wholesome pitchers able to beginning video games, and a bullpen so overloaded the Dodgers needed to commerce a once-trusted veteran, Ryan Brasier, to make room for his or her new additions.
“I’m sure some of [our past injury problems] created some of the mindset this offseason,” Friedman stated of the group’s aggressive pursuit of pitching reinforcements this winter. “Just to be as prepared as we possibly could be.”
The Japanese trio of two-way star Shohei Ohtani, left, pitcher Roki Sasaki and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto give the Dodgers added depth and high quality on the mound this season.
(Ashley Landis / Related Press)
Added pitching coach Mark Prior: “I just think we all feel very fortunate to be part of an organization that’s willing to keep pushing to try to go out and win a championship every year.”.
The Dodgers have had depth earlier than. Final season, they thought the additions of Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and James Paxton would provide ample manufacturing within the rotation. For a lot of the previous a number of seasons, the group has additionally counted on its talent-rich pitching pipeline to supply depth from the minor leagues.
Alas, it hasn’t at all times labored.
Glasnow and Yamamoto each arrived with sturdiness query marks, and each proceeded to overlook important parts of the 2024 season whereas on the injured record. The group’s capacity to maintain its youthful arms wholesome has been a fair greater difficulty, ending final 12 months with six homegrown pitchers out due to main arm accidents.
“We sat here in spring training last year and said, ‘Oh we’ve got so much pitching depth, we’re definitely not going to go to market in July for pitching,’” Friedman stated. “Fast forward to July and we’re in the market for pitching.”
The Dodgers have renewed hope they will keep away from that destiny this season.
They not solely lavishly bolstered their depth within the offseason, however did so with acquisitions like Snell (who has made a minimum of 20 begins in each full season of his nine-year profession) and Scott (who has racked up 275 appearances during the last 4 seasons) who’ve had sturdy observe information of their MLB careers.
In contrast with the final couple of years, they are going to be far much less reliant upon youthful pitchers who — given the realities of contemporary baseball improvement — is likely to be extra prone to coming as much as the majors and rapidly getting harm.
The Dodgers will proceed to cautiously handle every pitcher’s workload, reprising the strategic use of off days and drop-in starters which have grow to be commonplace in current seasons.
Now, even when they’re bitten by the damage bug once more, their sheer variety of choices on the mound ought to go away them much less prone to a state of affairs like final 12 months, when the group was left with simply three wholesome starters by the start of the postseason even after a key deadline commerce for Jack Flaherty.
“It’s certainly very important,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated, noting that the development of this 12 months’s pitching workers ought to give the group extra “latitude” to guard the group general.
Already this spring, it has factored into the Dodgers’ determination to slow-play the buildup of veteran relievers Evan Phillips (who spent the offseason recovering from a tear in his rotator cuff) and Michael Kopech (who battled some arm irritation throughout the winter), prepared to let each fully heal from their accidents even when it means they start the season on the injured record.
The group’s plan to make use of a six-man beginning rotation as soon as Shohei Ohtani is able to begin pitching once more ought to have the same impact, giving your entire group of starters extra time to get better between outings and a much less rigorous workload general.
Granted, Friedman and Prior famous in current days that a lot can occur over a 162-game schedule.
“You look back over the years, we’ve been as aggressive as anyone in dropping in a starter, using off days,” Friedman stated. “It’s almost the most risk-averse way of handling a pitching staff, and it hasn’t worked.”
“Unfortunately, it’s hard to script what’s going to happen,” Prior added. “On paper, yes, [our depth] makes it, I think, a little bit easier. But things happen. So, you know, we’ll see.”
However whereas the Dodgers — together with the remainder of the trade — nonetheless have big-picture questions to determine in relation to defending pitchers’ well being, the group feels pretty much as good as it may well in regards to the state of its uber-deep workers getting into 2025.
“Adding premier guys gives you some talent,” Prior stated, “and at least that raises the floor for sure.”
