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For many teams, opening day is the most exciting time of the year. For the 2023 Dodgers, it might be the most anxious.
Despite an underwhelming offseason and unmistakable loss of talent from last season’s 111-win club, the Dodgers enter the new season confident they can remain a World Series contender and continue their decade of dominance in the National League West.
But this year, perhaps more than any in recent memory, they can’t be certain of it.
As they get ready for their opener Thursday night at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks, major questions remain about the upcoming campaign, from their lineup depth to the health of their pitching to their reliance on the farm system. Here are the top six:
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1. Will the biggest stars shine?
The Dodgers could benefit from a typical productive season from star outfielder Mookie Betts.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
For all the questions the Dodgers face, most wouldn’t matter if they get typical dominant seasons from Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Max Muncy.
Those four should be in the lineup almost every day. And when they’re at their best, they give the Dodgers one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball.
Clayton Kershaw has opted for consecutive one-year contracts with the Dodgers so that he can leave the sport on his terms.
It’s not a group without uncertainty. Betts and Muncy experienced extreme highs and lows last season. Smith still is working toward superstar status. And even if Freeman posts another MVP-caliber campaign, as he’s done in just about each of the last seven seasons, the Dodgers don’t seem to have compensated for the loss of Trea Turner (or Gavin Lux).
Most likely, it’ll be a dominant quartet at the top of the order. But anything less than that could have cascading effects on the Dodgers’ offensive ceiling.
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2. Can the bottom of the lineup produce?
Can Miguel Rojas hold on to the starting role as Dodgers shortstop?
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Another reason the top of the lineup is so key: The bottom half has serious question marks in almost every spot.
Will J.D. Martinez have a bounce-back year as DH, or continue a recent statistical decline now that he’s 35?
Will Miguel Rojas stick as the everyday shortstop after taking over in the wake of Lux’s season-ending injury?
It’s a season that is impossible to predict, but the Dodgers appear headed to the postseason again.
Will Miguel Vargas and James Outman produce in their first extended big-league action, or struggle to adapt to MLB pitching?
And will platoons in left and center field help the Dodgers get by, or will the individual deficiencies of Chris Taylor (who has struggled with strikeouts), Trayce Thompson (who had a cold spring), David Peralta (who went quiet down the stretch last season) and Jason Heyward (who rebuilt his swing this winter) be too much to overcome?
After five straight seasons of the Dodgers leading the league in scoring, the team’s potency at the plate is in doubt.
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3. Will the rotation stay healthy?
The Dodgers are hoping to have a healthy Dustin May in the rotation for the full season.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The Dodgers rotation could be one of the best in baseball. Julio Urías and Clayton Kershaw are capable of Cy Young seasons. Dustin May looked impressive during spring. Tony Gonsolin is coming off his first All-Star selection. And Noah Syndergaard offers upside from the No. 5 spot.
However, most of them enter the year with injury concerns. Kershaw hasn’t made more than 22 starts since 2019. Gonsolin is set to miss the opening month with a sprained ankle. Syndergaard and May are only a couple of years removed from Tommy John surgeries. And Urías is in a contract year, when players are sometimes extra cautious with even minor ailments.
The Dodgers have had injury problems before. And if it happens again, it threatens to turn perhaps their biggest strength into a weakness.
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4. Are young pitchers ready?
Young pitcher Ryan Pepiot made the Dodgers roster to open the season.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In the event the Dodgers suffer losses in their rotation, they will be banking on a group of young arms to pick up the slack.
Ryan Pepiot is on the roster as Gonsolin’s replacement. Fellow top prospects Michael Grove and Gavin Stone are headlining the triple-A rotation. And former first-round pick Bobby Miller could be on track for his debut as well.
It’s something of a gamble, the club entrusting unproven — albeit highly touted — young pitchers to step up if needed. But it’s a choice the team hopes will pay dividends, not only this year but for the future as well.
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5. Is a closer necessary for the bullpen?
Evan Phillips should get some opportunities to close games for the Dodgers this season.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The one thing the Dodgers haven’t picked yet: a closer.
Manager Dave Roberts said he was comfortable entering the season without a designated ninth-inning guy. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman echoed the same sentiment.
The Dodgers aren’t short on candidates. Evan Phillips emerged as one of the majors’ better relievers last year. Alex Vesia, Brusdar Graterol and Daniel Hudson (when he’s healthy) can close too.
For now, the Dodgers will stick to the closer-by-committee approach. It could be Phillips on nights he’s not needed until the ninth. It could be Vesia to face left-handed hitters or Graterol to face right-handers.
Eventually, Roberts has indicated, the Dodgers might be open to picking one pitcher for save situations.
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6. Is a big trade coming?
Might the Dodgers pursue a trade for someone such as the Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds, shown sliding against L.A., during the season?
(Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)
It’s easy to feel the Dodgers are a piece or two short of being a true contender — especially after the major offseason upgrades the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets made this winter.
The Dodgers could use a star shortstop and a more dynamic bat in the outfield and another frontline starter. And it’s easy to see trade targets emerging before the midseason deadline.
Major League Baseball’s new pitch clock rules will go into effect for real Thursday when the regular season begins. Players say it’s time to focus.
Maybe the Milwaukee Brewers will drop out of contention and try to flip pitcher Corbin Burnes and/or shortstop Willy Adames. Perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates finally will give in to outfielder Bryan Reynolds’ trade request. Another name could emerge over the coming months, the kind of impact addition that could alter the Dodgers’ season.
Friedman hasn’t been afraid to take big swings before, particularly in seasons the Dodgers weren’t running away with the NL West title, like 2018 and 2021.
It’s easy to envision the Dodgers being back in that position — off to a good start but lacking the firepower of an obvious title favorite. If they are, and the right trade targets emerge, they might have to decide whether it’s time to leverage their highly ranked farm system again for a blockbuster deal.
