Sunday, March 30

Welcome back to the Dodgers Beat newsletter! In this edition, we'll answer some of your questions about the team. Let's get into it …

With the Tokyo Series behind us, the Freeway Series exhibition games nearly complete and the domestic opener just around the corner, it's time for a Dodgers mailbag. 

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions -- which have been lightly edited for clarity -- through the link in the previous newsletter. To those whose questions I didn't get to, there will be more opportunities throughout the season. 

Which player not named Freeman, Betts or Ohtani is set for a breakout season? -- Paul K. from San Antonio, Texas

My instinct tells me that Yoshinobu Yamamoto is set for a really big year.

It almost feels strange to say that a player who is entering the second season of a 12-year, $325 million contract -- the most guaranteed dollars for a pitcher in Major League history -- is due to break out. Let me clarify that this is not taking into account his NPB career, because Yamamoto might be one of the most decorated active players in baseball, including international competition. 

As an MLB rookie, Yamamoto posted a 3.00 ERA across 18 starts and struck out 105 in 90 innings. It was a strong year, but one that didn't quite reach the level of hype that surrounded him before he signed with Los Angeles. He also missed nearly three months with a triceps injury.

During the Dodgers' World Series run, Yamamoto showed why he's considered a big-game pitcher, flushing a rough postseason debut to post three strong starts the rest of the way. The momentum he gained from that experience seemed to follow him into spring, and later to Tokyo, where he tossed five innings of one-run ball in his first career Opening Day start.

Yamamoto is in his age-26 season, and it wasn't entirely reasonable to expect him to pitch like an ace when he also had to adjust to life in the Majors. Now that he has a big league season under his belt, his electric stuff is bolstered by a growing confidence that comes across when he's on the mound.

"I think that last year to this year," manager Dave Roberts said after Yamamoto's Opening Day start, "the confidence, the conviction that he has in throwing the fastball in the strike zone is much more convicted. … If he can do that, obviously [staying healthy], I see no reason why he won’t be in the Cy Young conversation."

Roki Sasaki seemed to be a little bit nervous when starting Game 2. Any comments regarding that? -- Fernando A. from Mexico City
By many accounts, Sasaki was, indeed, a bit nervous ahead of his Major League debut in his home country. He later described it as a "good nervousness," with Dodgers director of baseball product development Yuji Akimoto interpreting.

"He's pretty stoic in his emotions," third baseman Max Muncy said after Sasaki's debut. "You can't really get a sense one way or the other. I could really feel before the game that he was probably a bit more nervous than he let on, but that's to be expected in this kind of moment."

The Dodgers still have much to learn about Sasaki. They can take some things away from helping Yamamoto transition to the Majors last year, but Sasaki is younger and has less overall professional experience. The expectations for the 23-year-old right-hander might be even higher than for Yamamoto, but it's probably wise to approach Sasaki's first big league season with patience.

That's not to say that I think Sasaki will struggle this year. He has some nasty stuff in his back pocket, as we saw when he held the Cubs to one run despite issuing five walks in Tokyo. Sasaki's pure talent is apparent, but he isn't the full package just yet, as he's expressed. And that's OK. The Dodgers are developing him to excel at this level of the game in the long run, not necessarily to be an ace this year.

What will the Dodgers' roster look like entering the "real" season? IL moves, etc.? -- Eric E. from Delmar, N.Y.
The team can reset its 26-man roster for the Tokyo Series -- which looked like this -- but I wouldn't expect any drastic changes ahead of the domestic opener. 

After their second game of the season, the Dodgers optioned outfielder James Outman and righties Landon Knack and Matt Sauer to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Those spots should go to starting pitchers Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Dustin May, who were exempt from the Tokyo Series roster because all were unavailable to pitch. 

A big thank you to MLB.com colleagues Sarah Wexler and Andrés Soto for filling in for me during my time off after the Tokyo Series! 

• Mookie Betts spoke about the undiagnosed illness that kept him out of the Tokyo Series, and the Dodgers are optimistic that their starting shortstop is turning a corner.

• After slowing his progression on the mound leading into the regular season, Shohei Ohtani is expected to throw his first bullpen session since Feb. 25 on Saturday.

• Roberts made it official: Snell will start opposite the Tigers' Tarik Skubal in the domestic opener.

Here's what the Dodgers have on tap for their first homestand of 2025 (Thursday through Saturday vs. Tigers, Monday through April 2 vs. Braves). To see all of the team's scheduled promotions and events, click here.

• Friday: World Series ring ceremony

• Saturday: Orel Hershiser replica jersey giveaway

• Monday: World Series champions hoodie giveaway

• Wednesday, April 2: Ohtani MVP bobblehead giveaway

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