LAS VEGAS — Even before the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team in 25 years to repeat as World Series champions, Andrew Friedman understood the inherent hurdles.
“I think it’s human nature in a lot of ways for groups to become more complacent after they win,” Friedman said in a side room this spring at the Dodgers’ complex at Camelback Ranch. “Then the next factor is, usually to win, you have ridden your pitching staff really hard in October to win those 11 games and the subsequent hangover that comes from that.”
Friedman offered that theory as a reason for his Dodgers to buck that trend. They’d infused their championship core with new blood, and had won in 2024 while having a skeleton starting pitching staff. They could avoid those pitfalls then.
How about now?
It remains to be seen how many new faces the Dodgers will add to their 2026 iteration, as they seek to become the first team since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees to win three consecutive titles. But their starting staff this time around will have to come off of some heavy usage after a postseason run that ultimately required 13 wins (and 17 games) to make history, including a Game 7 effort in which all four primary starters (Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto) appeared on three days’ rest or fewer. Several of their other potential starting options, from Emmet Sheehan to Roki Sasaki to even Justin Wrobleski, all filled relief roles throughout the run, as well.
The Dodgers still appear to be well-positioned to handle it. It would be a surprise if the Dodgers were heavily engaged on any of the potential starters on the move (non-Tarik Skubal level). Their starting depth on paper going into next year might be just as deep as the group they had going into this year, when they rode that strength to a title.
Yamamoto represented the only Dodgers starter to go wire-to-wire in 2025, making 30 starts and throwing 173 2/3 regular-season innings before adding on 37 1/3 in the postseason (including 2 2/3 on zero days’ rest in Game 7).
Yoshinobu Yamamoto went wire-to-wire during the 2025 campaign, earning World Series MVP honors after his heroic efforts. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
Of the others in the Dodgers’ projected Opening Day rotation for 2026, only Glasnow even topped 100 innings between the regular season and postseason in 2025 (111 2/3 innings). He, along with Snell and Sasaki, missed months of the season due to shoulder trouble. Ohtani and Sheehan were each coming off major elbow surgery. Their leader behind Yamamoto in games started, Clayton Kershaw, retired after this season. Next on the list was Dustin May, who was traded midseason.
The Dodgers had to ride their starters heavily in October, but didn’t put as many miles on them to get there.
They are also getting healthier. Speaking at The Cosmopolitan hotel during this week’s GM meetings, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said he’s expecting “whatever a normal year is going off surgery” for both Gavin Stone (shoulder surgery) and River Ryan (Tommy John surgery) in 2026, reintroducing two of the team’s brightest internal young stars into the pitching picture.
Stone will be the answer for the trivia question of who led the 2024 Dodgers in games started – 25, with a 3.53 ERA. Ryan burst onto the scene, making four electric big league starts before blowing out.
Sasaki will “absolutely” be viewed as a starting pitcher to begin next season, Gomes said. Wrobleski and Ben Casparius likely best fit in relief roles, but are pieces of the starting pitching mix as well, as is Landon Knack. Pitching prospects Jackson Ferris, Adam Serwinowski and even Patrick Copen are all at Double A and could enter the depth picture with a strong season, as well.
There are ways to be flexible, Gomes said.
“Playing this deep, guys did things that most people don’t do in the World Series, so it’s just making sure we’re being prudent on the front end and saying, ‘If we need extra rest here, we can do it,’” Gomes said. “If not, we have ways to navigate it.”
That will include Ohtani in what will be his first full pitching season since his second elbow ligament reconstruction. Gomes said things will look “more like a normal schedule” with Ohtani’s pitching in 2026, though that surely can be fudged if necessary while still getting value from his bat.
“Everything we’ll do is with a big-picture mindset,” Gomes said. “So those are conversations we’ll have as we get closer.”
Dalton Rushing will be the Dodgers’ primary backup catcher in 2025, Gomes said Tuesday, which was only confirmed Wednesday when Ben Rortvedt was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds.
That it was even a question speaks to just how Rushing’s first taste of the big leagues went. Rushing was called up in May to supplant Austin Barnes and take the backup reins, only for Rortvedt to be the one holding that role by the end of the World Series. Rushing took just one postseason plate appearance, and the top prospect had just a .582 OPS in 53 games of regular-season action.
The Dodgers are still trying to sort out how to get him more consistent playing time behind Will Smith.
“I think a lot of it is Rush getting his swing back in a good place,” Gomes said. “He was working on a bunch of stuff, his mindset, how to go about his business and work. We’ll look to see, the thing with the backup catcher role, it’s tough, because you have Will who is such an elite player. But things present themself as we see, guys get hurt and there’s different opportunities to try to look at ways to get Rush at-bats.”
That includes in the outfield, an idea the Dodgers tried in 2024 but largely shuttered last summer even as he continued to take fly balls in batting practice. Gomes also left the door open for Freddie Freeman to get more regular days off at first base, which would open up some more at-bats.