Los Angeles writer sends mild warning to Dodgers on prized $1.3 billion investment originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the best starting pitching staffs the sport has ever seen. After the dominance of the 2025 season, when LAD finished 106-73 following the conclusion of the MLB postseason, there’s a very real chance the mileage could affect their output. Or worse, eliminate it due to an injury. For Yamamoto and Glasnow, they’ve pitched deep into October and November.
The Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris shared concern about the star quartet starting rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani, who, combined, make over $1.3 billion and hold the key to a third straight World Series win.
“The big question in 2026 will be how the Dodgers’ pitching bounces back from this October’s heavy workload. All four of their top starters (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani) threw more than 20 postseason innings and worked either out of the bullpen and/or on short rest. Yamamoto logged a whopping 37 ⅓ innings between his two complete games and heroic back-to-back performances in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series,” Harris prefaced before saying, “Typically, that kind of mileage can have adverse effects the following season.”
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Dave Roberts has the benefit of unreal depth at the starting pitcher spot, with Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan giving the team a potential six-man rotation. The team’s bullpen could use work, but the Dodgers are expected to pursue at least one free agent reliever.
If the team isn’t overly concerned about the regular season, like most teams going for a three-peat aren’t, then there’s probably less worry about trotting out their best arms on schedule every run through the rotation.
Maybe the concerns are overblown because the offense is good enough to experiment on the mound with young arms like Ben Casparius, Justin Wrobleski, Gavin Stone, and River Ryan, all names Harris floated, too.
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There’s a real chance for this franchise to face some sort of adversity in 2026 after a charmed run the last few years, though. Again, with even two of those arms, the Dodgers, and most teams, for that matter, would be in good shape.
It’s nice to be the LAD. Even if anxiety about overexertion is a real thing for next season.
