In 1966, the Dodgers got good seasons out of Don Drysdale, Don Sutton and Claude Osteen, each of whom recorded at least 4.0 FanGraphs WAR. But it was an all-time great season from Sandy Koufax -- right before he retired, no less -- that arguably made it the team's best rotation since moving to Los Angeles in 1958.
Thanks to Koufax's 9.1 fWAR, that group's 23.4 fWAR is the most from any rotation in club history. It's just in front of the 1977 starting staff, led by Burt Hooton and Tommy John, at 22.0. Among more recent squads, the 2021 Dodgers received 20.8 fWAR from their starting rotation, fourth-most in L.A. history.
But perhaps one year from now, they will all be staring up at the starting pitchers on the 2026 Dodgers. Here is the recipe for how this year's rotation could be the best one yet.
1. Yamamoto remains elite
Amid so much turnover in the Dodgers' 2025 rotation -- their 17 starters tied for the third most of any team -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the constant. He made 30 starts for a club that had only one other pitcher (Clayton Kershaw) with at least 20. And those 30 starts were largely brilliant. He was second in the National League with a 2.49 ERA, led all qualified pitchers in opponents' batting average (.183) and hits per nine innings (5.85) and finished third in the NL Cy Young voting.
He was then relentless in the postseason as he allowed just six earned runs over 37 1/3 frames, tossed back-to-back complete games and was feted as World Series MVP.
There's no reason to expect anything less than greatness from Yamamoto in his age-27 season.
2. A full season of two-way Shohei
He's been in the Majors for eight seasons, but we've been treated to only one year in which Shohei Ohtani qualified for an ERA title. It was 2022, and it was his best season as a pitcher. He recorded a 2.33 ERA and a 2.40 FIP across 166 innings. He led the Majors in strikeout-minus-walk rate (26.5%) and had the fifth-most fWAR among pitchers (5.6).
The Dodgers brought Ohtani along carefully last summer once he wrapped up his rehab from the second major elbow surgery of his career. Near the end of the regular season, they began to loosen the reins a bit and allow Ohtani to go deeper into games. Over his final three starts, he threw 14 2/3 scoreless innings with 18 K's and two walks. That included five no-hit frames versus the Phillies, and a dominant season finale against the D-backs.
Enjoying a healthy offseason, two-way Ohtani should be full-go in 2026.
3. Snell & Glasnow stay on the mound
Good injury luck is important for any pitcher, not just Blake Snell or Tyler Glasnow. But last year's regular season was kind of a lost one for each hurler. Snell landed on the IL after just two starts as a Dodger and missed the next four months due to left shoulder inflammation. Glasnow was sidelined by right shoulder inflammation for about 10 weeks.
Injuries have been a frequent nuisance for both of the 10-year veterans; Glasnow has never pitched more than 134 innings in any year, and Snell has cleared 130 innings only twice -- and he won a Cy Young Award both times. Putting them down in ink for 160 or so innings is probably a fool's errand, but getting more than the 151 2/3 frames they combined for in 2025 would be a big boost.
Lest we forget how filthy Snell and Glasnow can be when they are right: They are linked with Jacob deGrom and Chris Sale as the only four active starting pitchers with a 30% or better K rate (minimum 750 career innings).
4. Steps forward from Sasaki & Sheehan
Roki Sasaki arrived in the Majors last year as the No. 1 prospect in the game. However, his introduction was a rough one, featuring lots of walks, a surprisingly low number of whiffs and a 6.19 FIP through eight starts before a right shoulder impingement shut him down for more than four months. He thrived as a late-inning reliever once he returned, but the 24-year-old will be back in the rotation for 2026 and would undoubtedly be the most talented No. 5 starter on any club.
The Dodgers ended last season with a six-man rotation, and that may carry over into this year. Emmet Sheehan might be that No. 6 to start the year after recording a 2.82 ERA and 89 strikeouts over 73 1/3 innings in an impressive comeback from Tommy John surgery. He ranked above the 90th percentile in strikeout rate (30.6%), whiff rate (32.9%) and chase rate (32.8%).
5. A deep stable of depth arms is ready to go
The big leagues' best rotation is backed by an enviable amount of replacement options, led by Gavin Stone and River Ryan. Both right-handers were top 10 prospects in Los Angeles' system just two years ago and missed all of last season recovering from right shoulder surgery and Tommy John surgery, respectively. But they flashed legitimate upside during their first taste of the big leagues in 2024 and are expected to be fully ready by Spring Training.
Landon Knack, Kyle Hurt, Justin Wrobleski, Bobby Miller and Ben Casparius could all fit into the back of the rotation if needed at some point as well, giving the reigning champs an embarrassment of riches on the mound.
Dodgers starters last season ranked inside the top five in ERA (3.69, fifth), FIP (3.84, fourth), expected ERA (3.80, second), opponents' batting average (.222, first) and K-BB rate (16.1%, tied for fifth). The one issue was that they left a lot of work to be done by the bullpen; only the Rockies and White Sox got fewer innings from their starters than the Dodgers' 783 1/3 during the regular season.
But the playoffs gave us a glimpse of what's possible when their starting staff is at or near full strength. The team used just four starters throughout October -- Yamamoto, Ohtani, Snell and Glasnow -- and they posted a 2.68 ERA with 120 K's and a .550 opponents' OPS over 104 innings.
That crew will try to guide L.A. to a three-peat this year. If everything breaks right, a third consecutive World Series title won't be the only history achieved by this starting rotation.