ROTATION

The Dodgers’ starting pitchers have had the lowest ERA in MLB four times in the past six seasons (including the past two years) despite the names in that rotation changing on an annual basis. Three All-Stars have been subtracted from last year’s rotation. Walker Buehler is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Tyler Anderson left for the Angels as a free agent. And Tony Gonsolin won’t be ready to start the season on time after a spring ankle injury. But Cy Young Award candidate Julio Urias returns to front the rotation with future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw rolling into the season healthy. Dustin May and Noah Syndergaard have the same challenge – regain their pre-Tommy John surgery forms a year farther removed from that ordeal. The difference this year seems to be that what depth the Dodgers have is largely young and unproven. But those young arms – Ryan Pepiot, Michael Grove, Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone – are dynamic.

BULLPEN

The Dodgers have said they are committed to entering the season without a designated closer. Whether he eventually emerges as the closer or not, Evan Phillips is far and away their most important reliever. Released by the Baltimore Orioles and waived by the Tampa Bay Rays just days apart in August 2021, Phillips has blossomed with the Dodgers into one of the best relievers in the National League. He held batters to a .155 average and a .430 OPS over 63 innings last year. The Dodgers will rely on him even more with veteran Blake Treinen recovering from shoulder surgery and Daniel Hudson’s return from knee surgery delayed. The options around Phillips are solid. Brusdar Graterol, Alex Vesia and Yency Almonte were all very effective in 2022, but it all revolves around Phillips.

INFIELD

The Dodgers let two elite shortstops leave for mega-millions elsewhere – Corey Seager following the 2021 season, Trea Turner this past winter – at least in part because they felt they had a viable alternative in Gavin Lux. That plan was blown up when Lux suffered a knee injury this spring that will sideline him for the 2023 season. An infield already in flux underwent further renovation. Miguel Rojas will take down the bulk of the playing time at shortstop now – a defensive improvement over Lux but another blow to a lineup that already subtracted Trea and Justin Turner. A return to his pre-elbow injury form from Max Muncy (now the everyday third baseman) would help offset those lineup losses and rookie Miguel Vargas will get every opportunity to fulfill his offensive potential while developing defensively at second base. Meanwhile, at first base, another MVP-level performance from Freddie Freeman in his second season as a Dodger is the expectation.

OUTFIELD

It’s hard to believe, but this is already Mookie Betts’ fourth season as a Dodger. They have gotten their money’s worth. Betts has finished in the top five of the National League MVP voting two of the first three years, won two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers and made the All-Star team each year there was one. The group to Betts’ right, however, is in flux. With Cody Bellinger gone, the Dodgers will turn to platoon arrangements in center as well as left field. Some combination of left-handers Jason Heyward, David Peralta and James Outman and right-handers Trayce Thompson and Chris Taylor will be pieced together on a daily basis. The results in the spring were not always encouraging as Taylor struggled and Heyward showed uneven progress as the Dodgers’ hitting coaches try to salvage his swing.

CATCHER

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has proclaimed Will Smith one of the top three catchers in baseball and the combination of Smith and Austin Barnes the best catching tandem in baseball. It’s not as hyperbolic as it sounds. Smith should have been an All-Star last season when he hit 24 home runs and drove in 87 runs with an .807 OPS. He is a rarity in baseball these days – a catcher who provides middle-of-the-order offensive production as well. Barnes, meanwhile, is a popular target for the Dodgers’ pitching staff.

BENCH

The Dodgers’ depth took a big hit with the season-ending knee injury to Lux. With Lux out, Rojas will be the primary shortstop instead of the multi-position backup he was originally slated to be. The rest of the bench figures to be the rotating group of platooned outfielders. The signing of J.D. Martinez represents a philosophical change by the Dodgers. Martinez will be the dedicated DH, a position the Dodgers used to rotate players through in the past.

MANAGER

Shocking as their first-round exit from the postseason was last October, coming as it did on the heels of a historic 111-win regular season, Roberts largely escaped blame. The loss to the Padres was “an organizational failure” as Andrew Friedman put it and less time was spent this winter performing an autopsy on Roberts’ postseason decision-making than previous winters. But the pressure will be on Roberts again this season (his eighth). The roster is less ‘turn-key’ than in the past with more young players being asked to produce and a closer-less bullpen to be managed.

— Bill Plunkett