Cody Snavely
The Dodgers have a tall task to address this offseason, and that is acquiring starting pitching. LA’s struggles this past October due to the lack of starters have been well documented. With Clayton Kershaw set to miss the bulk of the 2024 season and lefty Julio Urias‘s career presumably put on hold, the Dodgers are in desperate need of a left-hander for their rotation.
Ohtani or Yamamoto?
The Dodgers will be linked to each of these names all winter until one of them signs. Shohei Ohtani has been linked to the Dodgers over the last two seasons for various reasons, such as being on the West Coast, winning culture, and the chance to win/compete for a World Series title year after year. With the Dodgers not offering J.D. Martinez the twenty million qualifying offer, it seems evident that the team’s main goal is Ohtani.
However, the team’s most significant need is to start pitching, specifically young, durable arms. Yoshinobu Yamamoto checks off that box for LA, being only 25 years old and having a career ERA under two during his time with Japan. However, due to that, Yamamoto will have several suitors and is estimated to fetch a six-year deal, perhaps over 200 million.
That said, the Dodgers will likely have to choose one or the other. The main argument by many fans, including myself, will be, “If anyone can afford both, it’s the Los Angeles Dodgers,” which is accurate; that is not how this team or front office operates. The team will be heavily invested in both, but they could use the extra money to fill other voids on the roster.
The Dodgers need a lefty in the rotation.
The Dodgers’ current projected rotation, minus any free agent signings or trades, is currently all right-handed, which is a problem the team has not faced in years. Even if the Dodgers sign Clayton Kershaw back, he will not be back until mid to late summer, if at all. Shōta Imanaga could be that left-handed starter for LA in 2024 and beyond.
Imanaga is a name that should be familiar to baseball fans as he was the starting and winning pitcher in the WBC final against Team USA this past year’s WBC. During his time in Japan, he had a career of 3.18 ERA with over one thousand strikeouts. In 2023, he finished the season going 7-4 in 22 games, having a 2.80 ERA. Imanaga is also entering his age 30 season, so he will not demand such a high contract in years or salary, allowing LA to save money in the process. Imanaga has also been talked about less through the national media. Still, his name is known around the league, as an estimated ten clubs were in attendance at his last start for the Yokohama DeNa Baystars.
Signing Imanaga sets the team up for another Japanese star in 2026
It is no secret that the Dodgers like to plan out any potential future investments. That notion was proved even more apparent by a report from the LA Times by Jack Harris, who has linked the Dodgers to another Japan star in Roki Sasaki.
The Dodgers devoted considerable time to scouting pitching sensation Roki Sasaki this year, hopeful at one point the right-hander would be posted this winter, according to people with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly.
via Jack Harris & Jorge Castillo of the LA Times
Due to Japan’s posting rules, players cannot become eligible to come to the MLB until they have served at least six seasons with their club in Japan. If they leave earlier, they risk not getting the financial benefit by having to sign as a minor league free agent like Ohtani did when he came to the US with the Angels.
The Dodgers could, in theory, sign Imanaga to a shorter-term deal due to his age and, by the 2026 offseason, can replace him with the young phenom Roki Sasaki.
Conclusion
The Dodgers will undoubtedly be linked to many names this offseason, but the task of filling up the rotation with starters or winning back fans with the signing of a one-in-a-lifetime player will be at the top of their to-do list. But expect to see the team do what they always do, and that is not only planned for the season ahead but also for the potential roster years down the line.
