Dodgers’ 2025 Rotation Could Be One for the Ages

The 2025 MLB season is just around the corner, and as we get set to place some futures wagers on the upcoming year, I wanted to write a piece about my favorite pitching rotation this season. As some of you have been reading my MLB work for years now, you know my favorite thing to get into is pitching splits, as I think that the starting pitcher for each game is the most important aspect when it comes to handicapping games and even future bets.

While there are a ton of great pitching rotations out there, and a lot of teams that have improved their rotation over the offseason, there is one rotation that stands out as a clear frontrunner IF they can stay healthy. The key word in that sentence is IF, because that will determine just how good they can be in 2025.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have seemingly unlimited money, and unlike a lot of other franchises, they are not afraid to throw around their power. They have bought perhaps one of the most dominant pitching rotations we have seen in a long time, and this is a group of players that have a chance to have a generational type of run this season.

Take a look at this rotation: Blake Snell (2024: 2.54 xERA, 3.01 xFIP), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2024: 3.44 xERA, 2.86 xFIP), Tyler Glasnow (2024: 2.62 xERA, 2.68 xFIP), Shohei Ohtani (2024: N/A), Tony Gonsolin (2024: N/A).

The Dodgers went out and signed 2x Cy Young award winner Blake Snell this offseason, who despite what the headlines might have said, was actually incredibly good with the San Francisco Giants last year. He had some injury issues, but when he did pitch, he was as good as ever. A 2.54 xERA and 3.01 xFIP show just how dominant he was, and if he can remain healthy, should once again be a very good arm at the top of the rotation.

Rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto had his ups and downs in 2024, and now with a full year of pitching in MLB under his belt, I expect him to be even better in 2025. Despite last year being his first go around in the majors, he pitched very well, with a 3.44 xERA and 2.86 xFIP. Those numbers are excellent, and seeing as how he had them as a rookie, the sky's the limit for his ceiling. If he can put it together, he’ll be a Cy Young contender.

Tyler Glasnow ended his season on the injured list, so you can see how I put a big asterisk on this rotation coming down to if guys can stay healthy. When Glasnow did pitch, he was one of the very best in all of baseball. In fact, his numbers were better than AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal before he went to the IL. A fantastic 2.62 xERA and 2.68 xFIP shows just how good he is, and how good he can be for the Dodgers if he can stay healthy.

Shohei Ohtani may or may not pitch this season after taking 2024 off from being a dual-threat athlete and only focusing on being a hitter. However, if he does join this rotation, it is just another All-Star arm that will join it. We have already seen what he is capable of, and if he can pitch close to his previous numbers, it will be devastating for opposing hitters.

The fifth spot is not so certain, but I am projecting Tony Gonsolin to reclaim his spot in the Dodgers rotation after having Tommy John surgery after 2023. He missed all of last season recovering from that surgery, and looks to be back to start 2025. He struggled a lot in 2023, with an xERA and xFIP over 5.00, but that could have been due to his injury. In 2022, he was quite good with a 3.12 xERA and 3.69 xFIP. If he can get back to being that kind of pitcher again, he will round out this dominant group.

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