Rookie pitching and age could be the Dodgers’ Achilles heel

Rome fell. The Titanic sank. Mike Tyson was knocked out by Buster Douglas.

Things happen, and they can happen to anyone or anything.

Including the Dodgers.

I wouldn’t bet on the Dodgers imploding in a potential three-peat season, but the elements for disaster are there. Their starting rotation is vulnerable. Their line-up is aging. The depth of their position players is not what it used to be.

The two-time defending World Series champions could screw this up, and they know it.

“We are very aware that there is a lot of work to be done,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Every nightmare season would start with pitching.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow were all healthy in the World Series, but the reality was that it was one of the few times someone in their rotation wasn’t sidelined with an injury.

Snell was out for four months due to shoulder problems. Ohtani didn’t throw his first game until mid-June as he returned from his second Tommy John procedure. Glasnow missed 2 ½ months with shoulder inflammation.

The only member of their rotation to make every one of his starts was Yamamoto.

The diminutive right-hander carried a huge workload in the postseason.

He pitched two complete games. He pitched the final 2 ⅔ innings in Game 7 of the World Series, just one day after making a six-inning start. The performance made it feel like a given that Yamamoto could cruise through another regular season, but the reality is he also has a checkered medical history.

In 2024, his first season in the Majors, Yamamoto was sidelined for almost three months due to shoulder problems.

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Problems have already emerged, with Snell saying he will slowly build up his arm this spring so that his shoulder won’t bother him like he did last year. Snell is right to take his time. The Dodgers need him in October. But missing time in the regular season can also have consequences for the team, as an unhealthy rotation can have major consequences.

Injured pitchers leave the team starting with inexperienced arms that cannot be relied on to pitch deep in games. The bullpen is forced to play catch-up, and that’s what happened last year. The Dodgers led the majors in innings pitched by their relievers.

Tired relievers quickly become ineffective relievers.

Example: Tanner Scott.

The $72 million southpaw appeared in 21 of the Dodgers’ first 46 games last season. Up to that point he had an average of 1.74. That number rose to 6.44 during the remainder of the regular season.

The Dodgers’ bullpen earnings average was the 10th worst in baseball, which was indicative of another problem.

With the postseason in mind, the Dodgers assembled a group of hard-throwing relievers who were missing bats. While such pitchers could empty the tank daily during a three- or four-week playoff run, doing so over a six-month regular season proved difficult.

Maybe bring in a low-octane arm that can regularly throw out multiple innings?

The organization has won three championships in the last six years and this period has been marked by a subtle shift in the way it builds its teams.

A front office that once valued quantity over quality now seeks quality over quantity.

Andrew Friedman’s previous teams consisted of several platoons.

Now? The batting order may change depending on whether the opposing pitcher is right- or left-handed, but their six or seven All-Star-caliber players will be in the lineup every day.

The difference in capabilities between the starters and the reserves has increased. Their World Series trophies indicate this is the right approach, but this type of roster is more susceptible to inconsistency in the regular season.

Problems in the regular season can lead to post-season concerns.

The Dodgers won the National League West, but their 93 wins were only third in the league. Failing to secure a top-two seed in the NL, they had no bye in the first round and had to play a best-of-three series in the wildcard round. The Dodgers destroyed the Cincinnati Reds last year, but what would happen this year if they face a team with two hot pitchers?

Their season could be over in the blink of an eye.

But the Dodgers’ biggest concern is age. Freddie Freeman is 36. Max Muncy is 35 and Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez are 33.

Although Betts established himself as one of the best defensive shortstops in the NL last year, he had the worst offensive season of his career. Sustainability has become an issue for both Muncy and Hernandez.

“There needs to be some adjustment in how they prepare and how they are managed,” Roberts acknowledged.

The Dodgers still have three All-Stars in the prime of their careers: Ohtani, Kyle Tucker and Will Smith. They must withstand any age-related decline that their veterans experience.

The bet here is that the Titanic won’t sink.

But it is possible.