2024 Hot Stove League #5

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The Dodgers added another starting pitcher to their rotation. They have signed LHP James Paxton to a one-year deal for $11 million plus incentive bonuses.

These are the guys they have penciled in as starters: Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Paxton, Bobby Miller, and a bunch of choices including Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, Emmet Sheehan, Ryan Yarbrough and Michael Grove. Buehler will have an innings limit in hopes he’ll be fully capable for the postseason; May and Gonsolin are recovering from injuries and won’t be ready immediately, and Kershaw is both recuperating and still a free agent. Juan Toribo goes over the list in his column at MLB.com.

This would seem to push the Dodgers toward a six-man rotation, at least to start the year. Some of their arms are fragile, and Yamamoto is used to pitching just once a week in Japan.

24 thoughts on “2024 Hot Stove League #5”

  2. Jay Jaffe wrote an excellent blog post about Kershaw’s return, his expectations, and his status as “the longest-tenured player with his current team” now that Adam Wainwright has retired from the Cardinals.

    He also wrote a post about the Dodgers’ bullpen moves, with a lot of detail about both the arrivals and the departures.

  11. Gotta say moving Ferguson surprised me. Either the Yankees didn’t want Vesia, or LA thinks they found his flaw. Seems they’d want a reliable LH reliever until they know better what they have in Varland.

  13. I’m all for pitching depth, but when does it come at the expense of blocking good, young arms?
    Or are we as fans overvaluing Sheehan, Grove, Stone, Knack, et. al.?

    • Guessing that there should be plenty of starts available for these guys to “show their wares” (paraphrasing Jeff Kent). These new signings just about bring us up to where we were in depth now that Julio, Lance and Thor aren’t around, Walker likely limited and not being able to count on too much from May and Catman, not to speak of Klayton.

      • True, not like Glasnow and Paxton aren’t made of glass anyway. Rather see Yarborough in relief, but thought Sheehan earned a legit chance at a spot. The offseason rumors (where there’s smoke, there’s fire) around Stone and Grove probably are telling of how the team views them.

          • Both mentioned in the Glasnow trade before it finalized. Kicked around in possible deal for Shane Bieber.
            Yeah, I listen to too many rumors. 🙂

  14. Hats off to Adrian Beltre! (Though not his on hat of course). Brush with fame: celebrated NYE at his beach house in the DR (a rental, he wasn’t there)!

  15. Spahn and Sain and pray for rain was coined back in 1948. Warren was already 27 at that point having lost 3 years to military service. Pitched until he was 44. Even at 42 years in 1963 he was still an ace and a workhorse leading the league in complete games from 1957 through 1963 and wins from 57 through 61.

  16. I would actually like to see a 6 man rotation, but my guess is that they will more mix and match and do spot starts etc.

    Perhaps next year when they have Ohtani and Yamamoto – and RĹŤki Sasaki (please and thank you) – all in the rotation the Dodgers will have a full on 6 man rotation.