“How Will Innings Add Up?”: The Lingering Question That Will Define the Dodgers’ “Bold” 2026 Season.vc
(LOS ANGELES) — As the anticipation for the 2026 season builds, one thing is undeniable: the Los Angeles Dodgers have assembled “something special.” On paper, the roster is an intimidating collection of All-Stars, MVP winners, and Cy Young candidates.
But as any baseball purist knows, the “long haul” of a 162-game season—the true baseball “marathon”—is a brutal equalizer.
This is why, despite the “bold moves,” a “lingering question” hangs in the air, a question that will ultimately define their entire season: “How will all those innings add up?”
The “Delicate Balance” of a Super-Rotation
The Dodgers’ 2026 rotation is perhaps the most talented ever assembled. It also might be the most volatile.
Consider the core arms:
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Entering his second MLB season, still adapting to the workload of pitching every fifth day versus once a week in Japan.
- Tyler Glasnow: A true ace when healthy, but “when healthy” has always been the operative phrase.
- Walker Buehler: Now two full years removed from his second Tommy John surgery, but his durability is still a projection, not a guarantee.
- Shohei Ohtani: The ultimate “bold move,” now returning to the mound after a year off from pitching. How many innings can he really provide?
The Dodgers aren’t just betting on talent; they are betting against medical history. It is the definition of a “delicate balance.”
Why “Depth Will Make All the Difference”
This is where the Dodgers’ true strategy reveals itself. The front office knows the risks. Their answer to the “innings question” isn’t found in their top four arms; it’s found in arms five through ten.
This is where “depth” becomes the protagonist of their season.
Players like Gavin Stone, Bobby Miller, and the emerging young arms in their pipeline (like River Ryan or Landon Knack) are not just insurance policies. They are the plan.
The Dodgers’ strategy is not to have five pitchers make 30 starts each. Their strategy is to have ten pitchers combine to cover the 1,450-plus innings required. They are built to withstand the inevitable 60-day Injured List stint, managing workloads to ensure their “special” talent is peaking in October, not burning out in August.
It truly is an “interesting season ahead.” The Dodgers haven’t just built a team; they’ve built a complex, deep, and expensive solution designed to solve the one problem that cripples every other contender: the marathon.
