The Dodgers starting pitching depth will force a trade this season

Throughout several unique playoff seasons, five to be exact, the Los Angeles Dodgers have had one constant: starting pitching depth.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are proud owners of the longest active MLB postseason streak. Standing at five years, the Dodgers are two years deeper in their run than the next longest streak by the Chicago Cubs. Winners of five straight NL West Titles, the Dodgers have put together vastly different teams in each postseason run.

From Hanley Ramirez to Zack Greinke to Yu Darvish, there are have been several different stars that have contributed to this run since 2013. Heck, Matt Kemp made the postseason twice with the Dodgers, went and got traded three times and is now back on the Dodgers. Five years is a long time in baseball terms.

Throughout the years and the many different looks, there has been one constant; a dominating, deep, pitching staff — led by Clayton Kershaw. The best pitcher on planet Earth has consistently been at the forefront of pitching coach Rick Honeycutt’s genius system.

Since 2013, the Dodgers are second in FanGraphs’ WAR, first in ERA and first in WHIP. Dominance.

However, 2018 tells a different story. Kershaw still settles in as the face of the rotation. The best closer in baseball, Kenley Jansen, serves as a great caboose. The bullpen, even with some off-season losses, will be one of the best in baseball once more.

What is different is the starting pitching depth. One year ago, the Dodgers’ biggest problem was how to handle seven starting pitchers. In 2018, there is not much to get excited about outside of the top five.

Manager Dave Roberts recently established the Dodgers starting rotation for 2018. Trailing Kershaw is Alex Wood, Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu, in that order. The talent falls off of a cliff after those five.

Long relief arm Ross Stripling serves as the immediate “sixth-man” in the Dodgers rotation. Brock Stewart and Henry Owens are next; both unproven at the MLB level. After that is elite prospect Walker Buehler, who the Dodgers will understandably want to be patient with.

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This is not the same Brandon McCarthy fallback option that the Dodgers had last season. Heck, at one point, both Maeda and Ryu were being considered as bullpen arms. This pitching rotation is immensely shallow compared to past deep years.

And the arms in the rotation should not make fans comfortable. The once reliable Kershaw has been injured in the past two seasons. Wood looked elite early last year but was a casualty of fatigue late on. Hill is a blister away from missing time and at 38 years old raises durability concerns. Ryu essentially missed two entire seasons and was inconsistent last year.

Maeda seems like the most stable option and even he got hurt last season and was converted to a reliever for the postseason. Although he thrived, he is another guy that flounders with a larger workload.

This lack of depth will become apparent come June and July. While the Dodgers will be just fine, as this is a good pitching staff, the concerns will be understandable. It is impossible to avoid injury and LA is going to need a cushion to soften that blow.

This is what is going to inevitably force the Dodgers to make a trade for starting pitching. Whether that is Michael Fulmer or Chris Archer, the Dodgers will need that depth for another postseason push.

LA will somehow have to find a way to remain under the luxury tax; the entire reason why this rotation is lacking depth. Luckily, both Fulmer and Archer have manageable contracts.

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Even without a move the Dodgers will likely be a 90-win team and make the postseason once again. However, to take that extra step — and get some insurance — it is pivotal that the Dodgers make some sort of move for starting pitching this season.

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