Cody Snavely
The offseason is officially over as the Los Angeles Dodgers have reported to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, for the start of spring training. Much like last year, there is a lot of anticipation for the upcoming season for the defending World Series Champions.
Not only will the Dodgers attempt to become the first repeat champion in over twenty years, but they will also have plenty of new faces to help them reach their goal after another historic offseason. Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will finally take the mound in Dodger Blue, Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese phenom, will make his stateside debut, and multiple starters are set to return from their lengthy injuries.
Still, the Dodgers have plenty of questions entering camp that could create potential storylines to watch this spring as the roster takes shape.
What Will Year Two of Mookie Betts at Shortstop Unfold?
In back-to-back seasons, there is a massive hole on the Los Angeles Dodgers depth chart in shortstop. After the team lost out on all-star shortstop Trea Turner in free agency to the Philadelphia Phillies, the once-strong position was a bit complicated for the Blue Crew.
Gone are the days of former top prospect Gavin Lux taking the reins after the team traded him in the offseason, and with veteran Miguel Rojas entering his age 35 seasons, the Dodgers want to keep him off his feet and move him around the infielder.
Enter Mookie Betts, who, for the second season in a row, will be the Dodger’s full-time starting shortstop on Opening Day; however, this time, he’ll have more than a two weeks notice.
After Lux had the yips defensively last spring training, the Dodgers made the abrupt decision to move Betts from second base to shortstop, a position he had not played full-time since his senior year in high school.
Still, despite the change, Betts put up elite offensive numbers in the first half of the regular season before a hit-by-pitch would sideline him for the next two months.
The one issue for Betts in the short time was his defense. In 531.1 innings at shortstop this past season, Betts had a -4 OAA (Outs Above Average), a career-worst nine errors, a .963 fielding percentage, and a 76% success rate in 217 attempts.
The move to keep Betts as a shortstop entering his thirties is unorthodox, but according to Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes, they believe that an entire winter to train will do Betts good.
At the end of the day, the offense will always play, but it remains to be seen how the defense this spring and that offseason work were worth it. If so, the Dodgers at least do not have to worry about the shortstop position this season. If it goes wrong, it is logical that Miguel Rojas will resume starting duties for the third year in a row.
Glasnow, May, Gonsolin: How Will They Look After Recovering their Injuries?
The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off a championship season in which they took an unorthodox route to win the 2024 World Series over the New York Yankees with only three viable starting pitchers and a bullpen.
As we all remember, the Dodgers lost several starters at the end of the season, headlined by the loss of Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone. But even before that, the team was already without Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.
While young Gavin Stone is set to miss the entire 2025 season recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, May, Gonsolin, and Glasnow are all set to return with no restrictions this spring.
Starting off with Glasnow, the former Tampa Bay Ray has been very transparent about his elbow injury from last season.
At DodgerFest, Glasnow confirmed that the injury was right elbow tendonitis and that after resting, the elbow is “fully healed. ” He is set to ramp up his throwing program when the team breaks camp for Arizona.
Prior to the injury, Glasnow was having a career year in Los Angeles, setting a new career-high in innings (134.0) while also posting a 3.49 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and a career-high in strikeouts (168) across twenty-two starts.
It was a great first season in Dodger Blue, but there was a sense of emptiness without Glasnow in October, which he will try to change for 2025.
Glasnow, 31, stated his frustrations with the injuries he has suffered throughout his career and was already game-planning new possibilities to change his pitching mechanics to help reduce the stress on his arm.
As for Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, both starters missed the better part of the two seasons with their arm injuries. Gonsolin is coming off Tommy John surgery that he had during the summer of 2023, while May is also coming off his second career Tommy John surgery.
Gonsolin was close to returning for the Dodgers late last season, even appearing in a few minor league games, but ultimately was never activated. May was also set to return last summer, but a freak esophagus injury ended his 2024 season.
With the Dodgers set to incorporate a six-man rotation and having Ohtani delayed until May/June, all Gonsolin and May are a safe bet to be a part of the Dodgers starting rotation moving forward, but to what extent?
How will the Dodgers build up these arms in their rotation from not overworking themselves in the first half of the regular season so they’re available in October?
Who Wins the Battle for the Last Roster Spot: Hyeseong Kim or Andy Pages?
After an eventful offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers roster is tight on available roster spots, meaning some players will unfortunately not make the cut. However, regarding the final roster spot, all signs point to a battle between young Cuban outfielder Andy Pages and newly signed Korean utility infielder Hyeseong Kim.
Andy Pages, 24, was a pivotal member of the 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers, especially in the first half of the regular season. After injuries to veteran outfielder Jason Heyward and a regression sophomore year from James Outman, the Dodgers gave Pages the call to the show.
Overall, Pages put up respectable numbers in his stint at the Major League level last season, hitting .248/.305/.407 with a .712 OPS and a league-average 100 wRC+ in 116 games.
However, Pages really excelled in his splits against left-handed pitching. The righty had a .357/.396/.520 slash line and a 157 wRC+ versus southpaws compared to an 82 wRC+ against righties.
However, the signing of Korean utility infielder Hyeseong Kim throws a wrench in the potential plans for Pages. Kim, 26, is slotted to be one of the Dodgers’ primary second basemen but also has the ability to get innings at shortstop or a corner outfield spot.
Kim is also a left-handed hitter, giving the Dodgers bench some much-needed variety, with Chris Taylor, Miguel Rojas, and Austin Barnes as right-handed hitters.
The biggest hurdle for Kim is the transition from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) to Major League Baseball, which has historically been difficult for many hitters. Pages, on the other hand, has already had a cup of tea with them at the Major League level.
Both players also have minor league options so the decision will likely be based on who hits the ground running out of camp.
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