The Los Angeles Dodgers shocked the sports world when it was announced that Shohei Ohtani would be signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the team. It’s the largest contract in North American sports and makes him the highest-paid player in baseball history. There are plenty of discussions and debates to have about the nature of the signing and what it means for MLB, but a more pressing matter for the Dodgers is what they do now that they have their prized possession. While they are fairly set up in the lineup, their eyes may turn to pitching now.

Injuries and other matters decimated the starting rotation for the Dodgers in 2023. Free agency has also taken a couple of others. While it was still better than other teams, it paled in comparison to the standard the Dodgers have grown accustomed to over the years. The club’s pitching staff was the median in 2023, with a 4.06 ERA that ranked 13th in the majors and a 4.23 FIP that ranked 15th.

Entering the 2024 season the Dodgers rotation currently projects as follows:

1. Walker Buehler
2. Bobby Miller
3. Ryan Pepoit
4. Ryan Yarbrough
5. Emmet Sheehan

As it stands, the top three options in that list are locks for the 2024 season. Walker Buehler returns after missing 2023 due to Tommy John surgery. Since his debut in 2017, Buehler has been one of the best starters in baseball with a 2.82 ERA from 2018 to 2022. He had a down year in 2022 but was limited to just 64 innings before undergoing surgery. It’s no guarantee that 2024 will see his return to an elite level and his workload will likely be closely monitored by the Dodgers, but there is no doubt he will toe the rubber come Opening Day.

Bobby Miller is the most guaranteed lock for 2024 after he turned in a solid rookie campaign. Making 22 starts, Miller went 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 124 1/3 innings of work with 119 strikeouts against 32 walks. He enters his age-25 season and has shown plenty of potential to lead the rotation, but he’ll have to take another step forward in 2024 to further enhance his place with the Dodgers.

Ryan Pepoit is still essentially a rookie in terms of work on the mound after tossing just 42 innings with the Dodgers near the end of the 2024 season in a return from injury. He showed out during those eight games, including three starts, posting a 2.14 ERA with 38 strikeouts and five walks. Again the concern of health and longevity will play a factor but as of now he slots into the middle of the rotation pending any other moves.

As for the other two spots, the Dodgers will likely look to improve in those areas. Ryan Yarbrough tossed 11 games last season but primarily out of the bullpen and may be better suited in the long relief/spot starter role as opposed to regular starter. Emmet Sheehan is still young at 23 years old and showed some potential in his 11 starts, but there is obvious refinement still to do in his game to improve on his command.

So, where does this leave the team to look for reinforcements as they wait for other arms already in the system to heal and develop? Since it’s the Dodgers they are actively engaged in the open market to bring in top-tier pitching. “How can they keep affording this?” you may ask, well, it’s the Dodgers where money is no object. They have both the means and the power to do almost anything they want regarding trying to improve their team.

In the wake of the Ohtani signing, the prospect of signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the prized free agent from Japan, remains very much in play. Yamamoto is by far the top pitching option in free agency and will likely pull in a hefty price over $300 million. Ohanti’s contract reportedly has a record amount of deferred cash to help the Dodgers have the payroll flexibility to continue to sign talent. Yamamoto would be an obvious upgrade to set the Dodgers up for years to come and in a way works a contingency should something happen to prevent Ohtani from pitching in the future. The Dodgers need a bonafide ace and Yamamoto would fill the void.

Another option would be the acquisition of Tyler Glasnow from the Tampa Bay Rays. It was reported that Glasnow was being shopped as the Rays wanted to get out from the $20+ million owed to him before he reached free agency following the 2024 season. Glasnow has struggled with arm and shoulder injuries the past two years, but when he is healthy he is one the best pitchers in the game. The Dodgers could easily swallow the cost but would have to part with young pitching talent to do so. It’s a move within the realm of possibility however as they would gladly take his 3.89 ERA from the 2023 season.

It’s also been floated that Dylan Cease is likely to be traded by the Chicago White Sox and the Dodgers would be an obvious player in that bidding war. Cease isn’t slated for free agency until after the 2025 season, giving the Dodgers at least two seasons of team control and more controllable costs. Cease had a down year with a 4.58 ERA over 177 innings but he made 33 starts and a move to the Dodgers would no doubt give him the resources to improve his overall approach to pitching, a factor the Dodgers have proven with several pitchers.

Blake Snell is also another arm on their radar that would slot in nicely in the rotation. The 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner may not toss the most innings and does struggle with walks from time to time, but he is also a deceptive left-handed pitcher that the Dodgers could use in their rotation. His sub-three ERA from the left side would help balance the rotation in the wake of an injured Clayton Kershaw (a free agent) and Julio Urias (another free agent) who is dealing with allegations off the field. He’ll cost a pretty penny but the results speak for themselves, and the Dodgers would again find a way to enhance and expand upon his skill set.

There are plenty of other options, such as trades for top starters like Corbin Burnes or even Shane Bieber, or the signing of Jordan Montgomery. Not to mention there are the veteran second-tier starter acquisitions like Lucas Giolito or Marcus Stroman. When you are the Los Angeles Dodgers, you often have the pick of the litter and the team has plenty of opportunity to flesh out the rotation for the 2024 season and beyond. You can have all the offense in the world, but you still need good pitching, particularly starting pitching, and that’s something the Dodgers need to build upon if they don’t want to get bounced from the playoffs early again.