Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes discussed the team’s top positions as they prepare for a critical 2026 season.
The Dodgers won the World Series thanks to their starting pitchers, who kept runs from scoring and pitched deep into games to mask the underperforming bullpen.
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Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobou Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow all started key games for the Dodgers down the stretch. At the same time, Roki Sasaki, who pitched in the regular season as a starter, came out of the bullpen for high-level innings.
All five are supposed to form the starting rotation. However, given the heavy workload from a long postseason run and the injury histories of many pitchers, it’s likely that the Dodgers will opt for a six-man or even a seven-man rotation.
Gomes, however, has not committed to a definite plan, especially since the winter could involve trades for a starter or bullpen help, where the team is weakest. However, he kept a larger rotation as a possibility.
“It’s certainly on the table, but it depends how things shake out,” Gomes said, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register.
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Ohtani is one of the biggest question marks heading into a new season. He suffered a shoulder injury a couple of years ago and just returned to the mound this season.
He was pushed during the postseason, making regular starts and even coming in on short rest to start Game 7 of the postseason. It will be interesting to see how the Dodgers handle him after such a strenuous time and high wear, though Gomes remained uncommitted on the topic as well for the time being.
“I think that’s a conversation we’ll have with him as it gets deeper into the offseason, but it’ll probably look more like a normal schedule than last year, but obviously that can be fluid,” Gomes added.
If the Dodgers want to three-peat and make another deep run, they need to protect their starters, especially Ohtani.
It is reasonable to expect them to utilize organizational depth and employ a variety of arms, giving young players a chance, though with the overall goal of shielding their key arms.
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