The Dodgers front office is quite busy during the off-season. The team and 2-time AL MVP Shohei Ohtani agreed to a historic 10-year deal. After signing with Ohtani, the Dodgers didn’t stop. Also, they agreed to a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. In the trade, the Dodgers sent Ryan Pepiot and Jonny DeLuca to the Rays. At the same time, they acquired Tyler Glasnow, Manuel Margot and cash from the Rays.
In 2023, Glasnow made 21 starts. He tossed a career-high 120 innings and finished the season a 3.53 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Additionally, he punched out a career-high 162 batters. Opponents’ batting average against Glasnow was .209. He missed some time because of injury. Throwing 120 innings doesn’t seem to be a lot. So, why do the Dodgers need to make this trade?
Looking back at the Dodgers pitching stats in 2023, only Clayton Kershaw and Bobby Miller tossed at least 120 innings. Kershaw made 24 starts and finished the season with a 2.46 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He punched out 137 batters last season. Nonetheless, Kershaw underwent shoulder surgery in November and it’s still unknown if Kershaw will return to the Dodgers.
In addition, Bobby Miller made his MLB debut last May. In total, he made 22 starts, posting a 3.76 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 124.1 innings. Calling up Bobby Miller was surely a great decision for the Dodgers and without doubt, he will be an important part of the Dodgers rotation.
Moreover, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin each made 20+ starts for the Dodgers. However, they each had an ERA over 4. Julio Urias was placed on the restricted list in September due to personal issues and he’s now a free agent. Furthermore, Tony Gonsolin, who was selected to the 2022 All-Star game, underwent Tommy John surgery in September and will miss the 2024 season.
Last season, only 2 pitchers from the Dodgers threw at least 120 innings. Adding Glasnow in the rotation will surely be helpful. Moreover, Glasnow struck out 162 batters in 2023, and looking at the Dodgers starting pitchers, no one threw more than 140 strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers acquired Manuel Margot from the Rays. Well, this might be quite interesting. Margot slashed .264/.310/.376 with 4 home runs and 38 RBI. He finished the season with an OPS of .686, which didn’t look very good. Nonetheless, it’s worth watching Margot’s performance against left-handed pitchers. Against lefties, Margot slashed .277/.293/.372 with 1 home run and 15 RBI. He had a .277 BA against southpaws, however, his OPS was .665. Against righties, Margot’s OPS was .694.
Looking at the Dodgers outfielders’ hitting performance against southpaws in 2023, Mookie Betts, without doubt, did a great job with a .300 BA and an OPS over 1.000. However, in the 2024 season, Mookie Betts will be the everyday second baseman. So, looking at other outfielders, no one had a batting average over .260 against lefties last season. Hence, Margot might be a platoon choice with Jason Heyward, who only hit .192 against lefties last year, even though Margot's OPS against left-handed pitchers was below .700.
Adding Glasnow is helpful for the Dodgers. And the Dodgers would certainly like to see him toss more innings and punch out more batters. Nonetheless, a key thing is that he has to stay healthy. It will be worthwhile to see if Glasnow can make 25+ starts and toss more than 120 innings in 2024. At the same time, Margot didn’t hit well in 2024 and it will be interesting to see how many games he will play for the Dodgers.
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