Los Angeles Dodgers
One of the most elite rotations in baseball (and a back-to-back World Series champion) will continue to dominate this year as they seek a return to the Fall Classic. Led by World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers will look to battle injuries.
advertise
One of them is two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, who will start the season injured. Snell continued to deal with shoulder issues in the offseason after playing the postseason with pain. But as long as their pitching staff is ready come October, they don’t have to worry too much.
san diego padres
San Diego enters the season with one of the weaker rotations in baseball. But it has very high ceilings. With King recovering from an injury-plagued 2025, Pivetta will look to build on last year’s incredible performance.
Joe Musgrove will do the same, but it seems increasingly likely that he won’t be with the club on Opening Day. Randy Vazquez will take his place at third spot, leaving two spots open. The rotation seemed to be leaning toward Marks and Buehler in the early weeks, but after general manager AJ Preller’s bargaining, the Friars have plenty of options to choose from.
advertise
san francisco giants
Entering this offseason, the Giants were in urgent need of pitchers, so they introduced Hauser and Mahler at a cheap price. With the offense largely intact, it’s odd that they’re spending money on hitters but not much on starting pitching.
But the rotating front is intimidating. Webb and Ray were among the best starters in the National League, with Webb currently pitching for Team America in the World Baseball Classic. Hopefully the cheap additions can help San Francisco patch up their starting lineup.
arizona diamondbacks
The Dbacks are basically running backs on the pitching front. After trading Kelly to the Texas Rangers, they brought him back as a free agent along with Gallen. They also signed Michael Soroka as a depth option this offseason.
advertise
Arizona’s starting pitching staff last year was mediocre but was hampered by an above-average offense. With Josh Naylor and slugger Eugenio Suarez gone, the offense may not be as good.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies’ only real loss this offseason is Colorado veteran Germán Marquez. They’ve done a good job of adding to the rotation, along with returners Freeland and Holland. They signed Lorenzen, Quintana and Sukarno as free agents. Of the three, Lorenzen has excelled in the WBC as Italy’s starter and has done well.
Neither are particularly high-paid players, but they add stability to one of the worst pitching staffs last season. The caveat is that pitching at Coors Field is difficult. A pitcher whose home field is a mile above sea level will naturally have a harder time limiting runs.
advertise
Related titles
