Andrew Friedman has big hope for Dodgers pitching in 2026

"The Los Angeles Dodgers leaned heavily on their bullpen when they won the World Series in 2024 but did not have the luxury of doing so this past season. The team's relief corps struggled with inconsistency in 2025, whether it be due to injury or players simply underperforming. The Dodgers were essentially forced to use many of their starting pitchers in relief roles during the playoffs, largely Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan. Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto also made appearances out of the bullpen during this year's Fall Classic."

"While it proved to be a successful strategy, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is hoping the Dodgers can rely on both groups equally next season, via SportsNet LA: "I think in some ways it was a game of Whac-A-Mole. In 2024, we're riding our bullpen and that's the strength. So we address our rotation, feel really good about our bullpen, but then that pops up (in 2025). So now we're hoping to sync both up together.""

"The Dodgers believe they shored up their bullpen by signing All-Star closer Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69 million contract. The move surprised many around baseball as L.A. had publicly signaled they weren't going to make any splashes this offseason. In addition to Díaz, the Dodgers are confident that several bullpen holdovers will have better seasons next year. Namely Tanner Scott, who pitched through several health issues in his first season with the Dodgers after signing a four-year, $72 million contract."

The Dodgers relied on a dominant bullpen to win the 2024 World Series but encountered bullpen inconsistency in 2025 due to injuries and underperformance. Playoff needs forced several starters into relief roles, including Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Andrew Friedman described the situation as a game of Whac-A-Mole and expressed a desire to sync the rotation and bullpen. Los Angeles signed All-Star closer Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69 million deal and expects holdovers like Tanner Scott to rebound. The rotation is slated to return with Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, Sheehan, Sasaki and Shohei Ohtani, with Tarik Skubal a possible trade target.

Read at Dodger Blue