Yes, the Dodgers could still add pitching

In any conventional sense, the Los Angeles Dodgers have no real business adding a starting pitcher or an elite reliever, but there is nothing conventional about this team. Starting off with their payroll capabilities and going through the injury history of many of its starters, there is the perfect setup for this team to not stop adding.

There are two ways in which we could look at this. The easiest and most optimistic one involves checking the current depth chart and finding a rather formidable six-man group consisting of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Emmet Sheehan.

If you want to be a bit more negative or grounded, the Dodgers lost over 250 starter innings from last year with the exits of Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, and the retirement of Clayton Kershaw. While it is more than reasonable to expect a good chunk of that, at least, to be covered by those six starters above, it’s not like they weren’t on the roster from the onset last year; you’re really talking about improved health and just that.

Bullpen-wise, the Dodgers owe a lot of money to Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen in 2026, and for multiple years in Scott’s case. While a Treinen bounceback is not particularly easy to imagine given his age, Scott’s stuff isn’t gone by any means, and it would not be a shock to see him, if not return to form, certainly look better than he has. On the flip side, Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech are free agents, and Brock Stewart is not expected back until well into the 2026 season.

Taking into account all of these factors, the Dodgers might not be in play for a Framber Valdez, but there is room to add, and here we’ll highlight intriguing options for each tier of commitment.

With Devin Williams off the market, there is one standout name if you’re looking for a bona fide elite closer, and he is Edwin Díaz. Between the money already committed to the bullpen and the lack of success from some of the top options off the market last season, the Dodgers could be wary of going after Díaz, but this move also has its upsides.

Entering his age-32 season in 2026, Díaz is coming off a phenomenal campaign that saw him regain his value after a good, but unspectacular 2024, coming off a big injury.

You’re never going to know how a player will react to a change in scenery, but the fact he’s had to deal with the scrutiny of New York, particularly in recent seasons, has a certain appeal. Furthermore, Scott, even at his best, isn’t your traditional closer in the sense that he’s filled other roles. Adding Díaz might relieve some of the pressure from Scott if he is able to find his form once again.

Since the start of 2020, a total of 11 pitchers have thrown at least 900 innings in the regular season, and Chris Bassitt is one of them. The former Blue Jay sandwiched two solid campaigns on either side of a rather forgetful 2024, and if not justified, certainly did okay to fulfill expectations on his 3-year, $63 million deal.

MLB Trade Rumors projected a two-year deal for Bassitt worth roughly $40 million, and that feels about right. Maybe on a one-year deal with a bit more money, the Dodgers could get out of Bassitt something similar to what Kershaw gave them. It’s an interesting comparison, as Bassitt also moved to the bullpen during the playoffs, and in his case, did so quite well.

There’s some speculation here, but for a player with such a lengthy career and yet to win a ring, maybe he could accept a different, more flexible role in joining the Dodgers, one that sees him occasionally move to the bullpen in a rare scenario of health across the board, even during the regular year.

If history is any indicator, though, Bassitt would simply wind up pitching 180 innings for a Dodgers team that still would need to find ways to fill out innings.

For all of his struggles with the Dodgers in the first half of last season, May saw his numbers get considerably worse in a short sample with the Red Sox. For as eye-popping as his stuff is, there are some clear struggles in putting it all together for that one really good campaign.

May could probably still get a guaranteed starting spot with a struggling team as a chance to prove himself. However, with the Dodgers, he’d not only play for a competitor, the obvious part, but more importantly, potentially fill a hybrid role that better suits his skill set.