What happened: Andrew Friedman said the Dodgers' pitching depth forced difficult roster decisions heading into October. He said leaving some arms off the roster reflected a level of staff surplus the club had not previously carried into the postseason.

Why it matters: The comment points to how Los Angeles sees its October formula: enough pitching to trim viable options before the first pitch. That kind of depth can widen matchup choices and shorten the path from starter to bullpen as the postseason opens.

What to watch: The Dodgers are scheduled to open play later Saturday. The next signal will be how that depth shows up in roster deployment once the game begins.