As we approach the new year, we inch closer to the most wonderful time of the year — pitchers and catchers reporting. In less than two months, players will be heading to spring training and start ramping up for the 2022 season. Assuming a new collective bargaining agreement comes together early in January — yes, that is 1,000% a stretch of the imagination — teams will have a month at best to finish putting rosters together for the new campaign.
For the Dodgers, the clearest and most pressing need lies in the starting rotation. Assuming embattled right-hander Trevor Bauer does not suit up for the team next season, as many MLB pundits predict, LA has two clear and obvious ace-level pitchers penciled into the rotation at the moment.