The Changing of The Guard

It is happening. Slowly for sure, but it is happening. At the beginning of this season the Dodgers had five veteran starting pitchers. Kershaw, Urias, Gonsolin, Syndergaard and May. May obviously the kid in the bunch but entering his 4th season in the majors Many of their back-up players are and were veterans. Some vets they signed in the offseason looked like they would be making the team. Peralta and Heyward stuck. Lux was injured and Rojas became the starting SS.

Now they are down to Kershaw. And he is not at his best. It is going to fall to one veteran, Lance Lynn, and some rookies, take your pick. Grove, Pepiot, Miller, Sheehan and possibly Stone, to get the Dodgers to the promised land. Kersh is going to pitch until he no longer can. Miller has established himself in the rotation with some gritty performances. We have seen flashes from Pepiot, Grove and Sheehan. Stone has pitched better at AAA of late.

The time for change is here. I wanted to see if I could find a playoff team with as many young pitchers on their staff during the playoffs. I did not have to look far. The 2020 Braves had three starting pitchers under the age of 26 that they used in the NLCS against the Dodgers. Max Fried, Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson. They also had another pitcher, 22-year-old, Bryse Wilson, who started one of the seven games. Although 2020 was the shortened season, the Braves had four pitchers 26 and under who got them to the NLCS.

And they had the Dodgers on the brink of elimination after four games. I see no reason we cannot expect the young Dodger pitchers to step up and perform like veterans. If others did it, it is possible for our kids to do the same. Anything in baseball is possible. Weak teams beat strong teams all the time. And I remember many games where the Dodgers facing a rookie that they had never seen and not doing very well against them.

But the real change will be what this team looks like come spring training. 2024. The Dodgers have a lot of payroll coming off of the books. Besides the free agents list, which is huge, they have options on Lynn and Muncy. Kersh, Urias, who at this point is pretty much a given as to not coming back, Peralta, Hernandez, Heyward, Rosario, Kelly, Miller, Treinen, Hudson, Wong, Brasier, Martinez, Yarbrough. All those guys will be free agents. Barnhart has a player option for 24.

I have a feeling there is going to be a huge turnover of the roster this winter. I think CK will make some sort of decision by say the winter meetings. If his shoulder needs surgery, all bets are off. I still have to believe he will retire if surgery is needed. One thing I do know is that the Dodgers will let him take his time to make his decision.

I also think that Jason Heyward will get another year at least with the team. He is solid on the field and great in the clubhouse. Peralta probably will not. I think some rookies, DeLuca, Vargas, and several pitchers, are going to get long looks in the spring. But also remember that next season they are starting play on the 20th of March against the Padres in Korea. Not all of the players will travel with the team. After that opening 2 game series, they come back to the States and play three games with the Angels and then open the home season at Dodger Stadium on the 28th of March against the Cardinals. That is a four-game series.

The winter meetings are going to be of great interest to Dodger fans as we wait to see if AF makes any trades or free-agent signings to bolster the pitching staff. As much as Andrew loves to hold on to prospects, I have to believe if they add a starting pitcher, it will be through free agency. There will be plenty of names out there. Do they take a chance that they can fix whatever is wrong with Giolito and bring him home?

Do they finally decide that they will pick up some of his contract and see if anyone wants Chris Taylor? There will be other players available who can fill his Swiss Army knife role. How will Gavin Lux play after missing a whole year? There are a lot of questions that will need to be answered. And the changing of the guard will begin in earnest.

I think most of us believe the most drastic changes will be with the pitching staff. With May and Gonsolin both down for the count next year, the options will be numerous. I have always felt the Dodgers are pretty good at growing their own. And the kids will definitely get some long looks in spring. Based on what I have seen, Miller is of course, a lock to be in the rotation next season. Sheehan and Pepiot both looked pretty good their last time out. Grove has also shown some promise.

I am looking at Stone as a possible back end of the bullpen piece. But I am not sure the Dodgers look at him as a reliever at all. If he adds a pitch or two that he can control, maybe he becomes a middle-of-the-rotation guy. Right now, with two pitches, I am not so sure.

There are other guys just starting their AAA journeys that might come into play also. Knack, Frasso. Some have mentioned a couple of Japanese pitchers who will be available this winter. Possibly they would sign one. I do not believe they could get more than that. We just have to wait and see what the plan is.

Down on the Farm

• Miguel Vargas was 2-5 with a double and 3 RBI. He is hitting .308 (.909 OPS).
• Jorbit Vivas was 4-5. He could be a roster causality or trade as he is really only a second baseman.
• Kyle Hurt pitched 5 shutout innings (1 BB, 1 H, 6 K’s) for OKC
• Michael Grove pitched an inning and was predictably roughed up.
• River Ryan also pitched 5 shutout innings for Tulsa
• Dalton Rushing caught and was 2-3 with a double for GL

Miguel Vargas Showing off his Power

Miguel Vargas got ALL of this one! pic.twitter.com/zlBmikJc18

— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) September 3, 2023