Remember when the Los Angeles Dodgers had four veteran solid pitchers in the rotation coming into the season?
Well it’s now the end of May and that is no longer the case.
Brandon McCarthy, who signed with the Dodgers in the off-season has ended his season for Tommy John surgery.
Hyun-jin Ryu, who was suddenly shut down in the spring, never made it back and has been shut down for the season to recover from arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
Dodgers Managing Rotation Woes Well
That leaves the Dodgers with a Clayton Kershaw that hasn’t quite looked like the MVP he was last year, Zack Greinke, and a mixture of Brett Anderson, Carlos Frias, and Mike Bolsinger.
Brett Anderson has been a nice surprise for the Dodgers. In nine games pitched, he has pitched a 2-2- record, and holds a 3.47 ERA. Though his career has been muddled with injuries, Anderson has remained healthy this far into the season.
Carlos Frias, who has spent time in the bullpen and as a starter in his career, has been a mixed bag of surprises. In his most recent start, he was rocked by the San Diego Padres. He gave up 10 runs including a grand slam that was knocked by Justin Upton early in the game.
The biggest surprise has been Mike Bolsinger. The pitcher pitched a one hitter in eight innings for the Dodges on May 23rd, and overall is 3-0 on the year with a 0.71 ERA.
So what do the Dodgers need to do here?
For now, the Dodgers should keep Anderson and Bolsinger as the number three and four starters as they have proven to be consistent. Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly has said Carlos Frias isn’t at risk of losing his starting role. Whether that’s Mattingly’s way of trying to keep his pitcher’s confidence up, or Mattingly just trying to deal with what he has, Frias will need to prove he can bounce back after his last outing. Frias will get his next chance against the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend.
The next step is for the Dodgers to make a deal, as the Dodgers need to have at least one more veteran starter due to Anderson’s injury history, and the instability of having Carlos Frias in the rotation.
The Dodgers have too many infielders, and their #1 prospect Corey Seager is on fire playing for triple-A Oklahoma City. On May 28th, Seager went six for six and knocked in six RBI’s against the Salt Lake City Bees. Seager, who was initially slumping after his promotion to Triple-A, is now batting .324 with three home runs, and 15 RBI’s in 25 games.
Let’s not forget Hector Olivera, who recently began extended spring training. With the age of the former Cuba national team infielder, and the high paying contract he has received from the Dodgers, it’s not expected the Dodgers will keep him off of the major league roster too long.
Whether the Dodgers deal the veterans or the prospects, the Dodgers have plenty of options and have a decent rotation in meantime while they figure it out. With that being said, it’s safe to say a big trade for a big time starting pitcher may be on the horizon for the Dodgers.
