Loading Up and Retooling: 2025 Dodgers Taking Shape

                 Just a couple of weeks until spring training starts, and the Dodgers are taking shape. With the two latest additions to the relief corps and Alex Vesia signing his pact, the team has gone out and improved the bullpen, the starting rotation, and added a lefty power bat to the outfield. 

               There is still the chance they sign CK as soon as spring starts, and they can place Graterol, Sheehan, Stone, Ryan and Hurt on the IL. Biggest question for some is will they bring Kike back. My stance has been if they don’t move one of Taylor or Rojas, it just won’t happen. I might be wrong, but I see no way to do it otherwise. They are loaded with middle infielders, and they signed the Korean kid, Kim and he is on the roster, although he could be optioned out. 

           Pages, Outman, Conforto, Edman, Teo, Taylor and even Betts are the outfield options. Teo and Edman look to be everyday options in LF and CF. Pages and Conforto could be the platoon in right. Outman is looking to reestablish himself a CF option. There could be a trade coming that we don’t know anything about. 

        Freddie, Max, and Mookie are locks at their positions. Second base seems to be the floater spot. Kim, Edman, Rojas, and Taylor can all fill that position. It is more than obvious that AF has checked all the boxes and feels good about his choices. 

        The starting staff looks really strong with Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow, as the top three. Sasaki is on OKC’s roster, and we will see where he stands after spring training. No one seems really sure when Ohtani will make his debut. This opens the door for guys like Miller, Wrobleski and Casparius to show what they have. You don’t really need 5 starters until May. 

           Kershaw should be available by the end of June if his rehab continues as well as he is saying it has. A healthy Kersh improves this team even more, giving them two lefty starters. 

          The pen is where the real roster battle is going to take place. We now have 3 pretty good LH arms in the pen. Scott, Vesia and Banda. Dreyer will get some looks in spring, but I expect him to be at OKC. We already know that Graterol will not be ready for opening day. There are still some questions about Kopech’s sore forearm. Gomes said the report was overblown. 

        The back end of this pen is unreal, Treinen, Kopech, Scott, Yates and Phillips. They are trying to move Brasier in a trade. But if they can’t, the pen is that much stronger. It also means LA has plenty of collateral for trades come the deadline. 

        As for the kids, they will get some looks early in spring. But the closer it gets to the 18th of March; the less time they will see as the team gets ready for the opening games in Tokyo against the Cubs. This year after returning from Japan, they have three games against the Angels, 23-25 before opening at home against the Tigers on March 27th. Atlanta comes in for a three-game set on the 31st. Then the Dodgers hit the road to Philly and DC.

            There was a lot of noise earlier about giving Rushing time in LF. That was before they resigned Teo. Although he might get some time out there this spring, one has to believe LA is more committed to him being a catcher more often than not. Although I like Feduccia a lot, I think he is more of an insurance policy, or trade bait. I do not see him in the Dodgers long term picture. 

           No matter what, it will be an interesting spring training and one of the more anticipated springs in memory. Does AF have some more mystery moves under his sleeve? We can only guess. 

           The Dodgers have been getting a lot of flak from all sides about the way they have been doing business. Jeff discussed this in length his last post. Fair or unfair, they are pretty much Public Enemy #1 right now in the baseball world. They have a huge target on their back. Winning another World Series will not be easy. But they have the horses to do just that.