Two of the best teams in baseball finalized their starting rotations to begin the 2024 regular season on Monday. First, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed right-hander Gavin Stone will open the season as the team's No. 5 starter behind Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Bobby Miller, and James Paxton.
"I'm incredibly, incredibly thankful for that," Stone said about being named the No. 5 starter (per MLB.com). "I'm very appreciative of that and I'm just looking forward to taking advantage of it."
Stone, 25, had a rough MLB debut last season, allowing 32 runs and 59 baserunners in 31 innings. He has looked terrific this spring though -- Stone struck out eight in 3 1/3 innings against the Korean national team in Sunday's tune up for this week's Seoul Series in South Korea -- as he's featured increased fastball velocity, a sharper slider, and a new cutter.
Shohei Ohtani will not pitch this season as he recovers from September's elbow surgery and Emmet Sheehan will open the season on the injured list shoulder soreness. With Walker Buehler being brought along slowly following Tommy John surgery, Stone essentially beat out Michael Grove, Landon Knack, and veteran swingman Ryan Yarbrough for the No. 5 spot.
Not long after Roberts confirmed Stone will be the Dodgers' No. 5 starter, the Atlanta Braves announced right-hander Bryce Elder has been optioned to Triple-A. That clears the way for Reynaldo López to open the season in the No. 5 spot behind Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, and Chris Sale. Righty Huascar Ynoa was also optioned to Triple-A on Monday.
López, 30, has spent the last two seasons as a short reliever, though the Braves signed him to a three-year free agent contract worth $30 million with the intention of trying him as a starter. Putting relievers in the rotation is a new trend sweeping across the league and López beat out Elder and AJ Smith-Shawver for the No. 5 spot. Here are their spring numbers.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elder | 12 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 1 |
López | 16 2/3 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 4 |
Smith-Shawver | 10 2/3 | 20 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 14 | 3 |
Of course, winning the No. 5 spot in spring training does not mean you get to keep it all season. That goes for López and Stone. If you don't perform, there are others waiting to take your place. Also, teams never get through 162 games using only five starters. Elder may not be in the Opening Day rotation, but you can be sure the Braves will need him at some point in 2024.
The Braves went 104-58 last season and had baseball's best record. The Dodgers were not too far behind them at 100-62. Both clubs won their respective divisions, though they were quickly ousted in the Division Series. Atlanta added Sale and López over the winter. The Dodgers went big with Glasnow, Ohtani, and Yamamoto.
The Dodgers (+320) and Braves (+450) enter the 2024 season as MLB's top two World Series favorites.
