The Los Angeles Dodgers know what it takes to win the World Series and have built a roster to repeat in 2025. Across a 162-game season, you must have a lot of depth to remain competitive, and the Dodgers were aggressive this offseason to bolster their pitching depth.
Their starting rotation to begin the season consists of Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani (when healthy). That does not mention Dustin May or Tony Gonsolin, both capable pitchers. One MLB insider thinks the Dodgers must make a trade due to a “numbers problem.”
Ken Rosenthal Thinks Dodgers Will Trade a Pitcher
Ken Rosenthal joined “Foul Territory” to discuss the Dodgers potentially moving a pitcher. He said, “The numbers problem would indicate to me, at some point, yes, they would have to entertain things.”
"They've got a numbers problem."
While the Dodgers could be reluctant to trade some of their depth starters, @Ken_Rosenthal says it might be necessary at some point. pic.twitter.com/PnmL82n6SJ
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 20, 2025
One counterpoint for keeping all of these starters is that the Dodgers will have injury issues at some point. It happens to every team, every season. The Dodgers will need more starters during the season if they plan to have Sasaki, Yamamoto, and Ohtani on an innings limit. It might make more sense for them to hold onto all their starters and deploy them as necessary.
Dodgers Off to Fast Start
The Dodgers began their 2025 season with a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Series. They won both games and allowed only four runs. Yamamoto and Sasaki started both games, but with different results. Yamamoto threw five innings, allowing three hits and one run. Sasaki struggled to find the strike zone, walking five batters in three innings and throwing just 25 of 56 pitches for strikes.
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Many teams will not ask for much out of their starters early in the season — usually just five or six innings. That is likely what we will get from the Dodgers starters. What is impressive about the Dodgers’ first two wins is that they did it without Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Betts missed the game with an illness, and Freeman had a rib injury. Getting those player back will only raise the ceiling of an already-loaded Dodgers roster.
There is no question that the Dodgers should be World Series favorites. The depth they have built gives them an advantage over most teams, and they should be careful to trade that away without a substantial return.