Los Angeles Dodgers President Endorses: Roki Sasaki to Return to Starting Rotation Next Season

Following their successful defense of the World Series championship, the Los Angeles Dodgers are pushing toward a third consecutive title. As reported by the U.S. media Daily Breeze, Dodgers President Andrew Friedman explicitly mentioned that the team's priority for strengthening in 2026 will center on the bullpen and outfield positions.

Throughout the intense seven-game World Series, the Dodgers relied heavily on their starting pitchers to cover middle relief and closing duties. This included Yusei Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, and the retired Clayton Kershaw, all of whom were called upon to pitch in relief during critical moments.

Friedman confirmed that all the aforementioned pitchers (except the retired Kershaw) will return to their starting roles next season, with special emphasis on the plan for Roki Sasaki: "For us, we have always regarded him as a starting pitcher, and a highly capable one at that. During the offseason, we will continue working hard to ensure he enters spring training in peak condition."

Early in this season’s regular games, the Dodgers’ bullpen, although heavily tasked, suffered from overuse. Coupled with a wave of injuries limiting playoff options — Evan Phillips (Tommy John surgery), Brusdar Graterol (shoulder injury), Brock Stewart (shoulder injury), and Kyle Hurt (Tommy John surgery) were all sidelined, while left-handed closer Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia (family matters) showed inconsistent form. Future bullpen reinforcements will need to carefully evaluate the recovery progress of these players.

Regarding the outfield, data shows the Dodgers’ outfield group had a combined Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of -1.6, ranking 18th in the league; slugging percentage stood at 0.415, placing 14th; OPS was 0.714, ranking 18th; batting average was .240, 20th place; and on-base percentage dropped to .299, ranking 26th. Potential free-agent targets include National League home run leader Kyle Schwarber, Blue Jays star shortstop Bo Bichette who once hit a three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani, Cubs’ Kyle Tucker, and former teammate Cody Bellinger returning from the Yankees, among other popular options.