GLENDALE, Ariz. — One starter has thrown as many as 90 innings in a season just twice in eight years in the big leagues.
Another hasn’t thrown 100 innings in a season since 2019 and has enough medical issues that his contract was restructured.
Another has never thrown a pitch in the majors and has spent his career pitching just once a week.
Another will be coming back from a second elbow-reconstruction surgery.
Another is a young pitcher who pitched more than he ever had in his life last year.
The starting pitchers likely to spend the most time in the Dodgers’ rotation this year all have issues. But the Dodgers have depth with a group of young starters one step away.
So why not just go to 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.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sees another downside to a six-man rotation.
“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.”
The Dodgers have dealt with it over the past nine seasons (since Friedman took over) by giving their starting pitchers extra rest whenever possible. By using off days on the schedule, inserting spot starters to make it a six-man rotation…
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