ATLANTA -- The Los Angeles Dodgers' starting-pitching depth was the envy of the sport when the 2021 season began.
By the end, it wasn't nearly enough.
Clayton Kershaw was hurt, David Price became a non-factor, Tony Gonsolin proved ineffective, Dustin May required surgery and Trevor Bauer left the team amid a criminal investigation. When October came, the Dodgers needed Julio Urias to remain flexible, Walker Buehler to pitch on short rest and Max Scherzer to contribute out of the bullpen. And ultimately it all caught up to them.
Their quest to become baseball's first repeat champion in more than 20 years ended in six National League Championship Series contests to an Atlanta Braves team that won 18 fewer regular-season games. The final loss -- by a 4-2 score from Truist Park on Saturday night -- went to Buehler, who started on short rest for the second time this postseason because Scherzer's arm still hadn't recovered from pitching the ninth inning of the deciding game in the prior round.
The Dodgers, with a major league-high payroll that neared $270 million, won 106 regular-season games and led the sport in run-differential. They walked off the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Wild Card Game and outlasted the division-rival San Francisco Giants in the NL Division Series, but they fell short against the surging Braves in an NLCS that saw Justin Turner join Max Muncy among the injured position players.
Now, suddenly, they will encounter one of their most uncertain offseasons in recent memory.
"The six years I've been here, it's been a core group of guys that potentially could be turned over this winter," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I'm not looking forward to it."
Below is a look through what lies ahead.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Notable free agents: SP Max Scherzer, SP Clayton Kershaw, CL Kenley Jansen, SS Corey Seager, UT Chris Taylor, 1B Albert Pujols, RP Corey Knebel, RP Joe Kelly (club option)
We know what you're thinking: That is quite the list. At least three Hall of Famers reside on it, very possibly four, and in a few years we might be saying five. This is a list representative of the turnover the Dodgers potentially face with their roster and the litany of tough decisions they'll encounter over the winter.
Trade candidates: CF/1B Cody Bellinger
Bellinger struggled mightily throughout the regular season, slashing only .165/.240/.302, but he turned it around with an encouraging postseason performance. There were serious questions heading into October about whether the Dodgers would actually non-tender him, but that now seems unlikely. It's also a long shot that the Dodgers would legitimately explore trading him, given that his stock has never been lower. But it's probably worth mentioning nonetheless. Bellinger is still two seasons away from free agency and projects to make something in the neighborhood of $15 million through arbitration this offseason.
Extension candidates: SP Walker Buehler, SP Julio Urias
Bellinger would have been a logical choice for this list at this time last year, but alas, baseball can be cruel. Buehler, 27, continues to prove he is one of the elite pitchers in this game, and Urias, 25, showed this season that he is capable of holding down a rotation spot over the course of a six-month season. Both are homegrown, both are in their arbitration years -- Buehler is three years away from free agency, Urias two -- and both can stabilize a rotation for years to come.
1. Scherzer? Kershaw? Both?
Two things we know to be true:
The Dodgers would love to find a way to bring Scherzer back, both because he clearly remains an elite pitcher and because they are big fans of the tone he sets within a clubhouse.
The Dodgers don't believe Kershaw should ever wear another uniform.
And that's where this might get complicated. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said early in the postseason that the forearm/elbow inflammation that prematurely ended Kershaw's season won't require Tommy John surgery, which means that -- unless he wants to retire at the age of 33, which probably shouldn't be ruled out -- he will be able to pitch next season. Scherzer, 37, definitely will, and word is he desires a three-year contract.
Can the Dodgers afford to sign both? Can they afford to pay top dollar for two starters near the tail end of their distinguished careers for vastly different reasons -- Scherzer because of age, Kershaw because of mileage? It might ultimately depend on how much money they have to spend, which ultimately comes down to how much -- if anything -- they'll have to pay Trevor Bauer next season.
Bauer, accused of sexual assault and awaiting word as to whether he will be criminally prosecuted, is owed as much as $47 million in 2022. But he will lose some of that to an impending suspension by Major League Baseball. The question is: How much?
2. Seager? Jansen? Neither?
Any hope of Seager returning next season might have vanished before the trade deadline, when Trea Turner joined the Dodgers along with Scherzer from the Washington Nationals. Turner played second base down the stretch, but he is an excellent defensive shortstop -- not to mention a dynamic offensive player who can hit for power and wreak havoc on the bases. The easy choice would be for Turner to slide over to shortstop next year, freeing second base up for Gavin Lux and allowing the Dodgers to invest most of their available funds on pitching. But what if a universal DH creates a need for an extra bat?
Jansen had a really good year -- 2.22 ERA, 38 saves and 86 strikeouts in 69 regular-season innings -- and will go down as one of the most impactful players in Dodgers history. But one has to wonder if this is the right time to walk away from him, after 10 years' worth of him locking down the ninth inning. There have been several instances over these last four years when the Dodgers seemed to lose faith in Jansen, only to turn back to him in save situations once again. All that time, the organization often wondered if it would lose Jansen entirely if he occupied a non-closing role. Given that, do the Dodgers really want to make a major investment in him continuing to be their closer for the foreseeable future?
3. How do they reload for a highly competitive division?
The Dodgers' run of consecutive division titles ended this season at eight. They were exceedingly good, winning 106 games and outscoring teams by a combined 269 runs. But that's not the point. The point is that the Giants were better. The Padres faded epically this season, but they're a talented group that should be good in 2022.
The Dodgers should be pretty much set with their lineup if Bellinger returns next season (and especially if they bring back Taylor, who provides so much surplus value because of his versatility). The question is with their pitching. Buehler, Urias and Tony Gonsolin return next season, but the Dodgers would like to add there. In the bullpen, Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol and Alex Vesia will be back, among others, but the same applies.
On a broader level, it feels as if the Dodgers are always poised to do something unexpected. Two offseasons ago, they got Mookie Betts despite not needing outfield help. Last offseason, they signed Bauer when it seemed as if the last thing they needed was starting pitching help. The latter became a disaster, of course, but the point is the Dodgers will be creative and, if recent history is a gauge, aggressive.
Intrigue abounds.