The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping for a repeat of 2024’s championship next season but could do without some of the obstacles to get there.

Even after adding Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and other impact starters to their staff, the team went into the playoffs with several crucial arms sidelined by injury and ultimately cobbled together their World Series run without a dominant rotation.

With Shohei Ohtani likely returning to the mound and their other frontline starters coming back healthy, the Dodgers can hope to avoid those rotation stresses next year without making any more blockbuster additions. But if they do make good on a prediction from Dayn Perry of CBS Sports, who sees L.A. as the landing spot for free-agent ace Corbin Burnes, they will add some serious pitching insurance.

“I don’t entirely buy that the Dodgers will be heavily in on Juan Soto, but I do think they’ll make a notable addition in the service of repeating as World Series champs,” Perry wrote. “They have some rotation uncertainties going into next year, and as the 2024 Dodgers acutely reminded us ‘rotation depth’ can be a fleeting thing. Burnes is an ace and about as much of a known quantity as a starting pitcher can be these days.”

After joining the Baltimore Orioles in a winter trade ahead of the 2024 season, Burnes went on to post his fourth-consecutive campaign with at least 28 starts. He maintained a 2.92 ERA with 181 strikeouts across 194.1 innings and earned his fourth career All-Star nod.

Given his durability and effectiveness at a premier position, Burnes is going to earn a major long-term deal in free agency, wherever he ultimately lands. Jon Heyman of The New York Post projected a seven-year, $210 million contract for Burnes, noting the depth of competition for his services.

“The Orioles will try to keep him, but it will probably be hard with at least the Yankees, Mets and other big teams involved,” per Heyman. “All the high-revenue AL East teams plus the Giants and Dodgers are expected to play for the Southern California product.”

If the Dodgers do come out on top in signing Burnes, they will add yet another high-impact arm to their rotation. But he stands to be the most likely one on the team’s staff to make all of his starts and pitch well into the postseason.