The Los Angeles Dodgers still have plenty of free-agent options to replace departing reliever Evan Phillips.
Phillips gets paid
On Thursday, November 12th, the long-time Dodgers reliever officially left the team, signing a $35 million contract with the Atlanta Braves.
Phillips has been a trusted mainstay for manager Dave Roberts, who has leaned on him whenever he’s available.
Now, the Dodgers are down a key bullpen arm, but luckily for them, there are plenty of options.
Here are three names to watch out for:
Jason Adam
Adam is 34 years old now, and he has a tricky injury record, but, funny enough, that makes him a strong parallel to Phillips.
Phillips has suffered shoulder and elbow injuries, while Adam missed time in 2025 and 2026 due to right shoulder and quadriceps injuries.
Over the last three years, Adams has a 2.08 ERA and 5.8 bWAR over 173.1 innings, making him one of the best setup men in baseball.
He pitched only 34.1 innings last year, which will lower his value and give the Dodgers a chance to swoop in on someone with a one-year deal.
Pete Fairbanks
Fairbanks had a rough 2026, with a 6.31 ERA after such a brutal year with the Miami Marlins. His FIP was 4.60, meaning he wasn’t as bad as his numbers suggest.
The righty has really impressive stuff, as shown by a 12.41 strikeouts-per-nine-inning rate last year, but his command really let him down, leading to a ton of traffic on the bases.
He averaged 4.57 walks per nine innings. Over the last four years, he has been a closer wherever he pitches, be it Miami or Tampa Bay.
The Dodgers already have a closer in Edwin Diaz, but Fairbanks could slot into a medium-leverage role and work through his command issues, which the Dodgers have shown they can fix.
Fairbanks had shoulder surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, and while he may not return until the summer, a lockout and the Dodgers focusing on the postseason make that quite possible.
Kevin Ginkel
Ginkel has been through two straight rough seasons after a great 2023 and 2024. Now a free agent, the former D-Back gets the chance for a fresh start.
Over the last two years, he has a 5.01 ERA with 101 strikeouts and 30 walks, paired with a 1.264 WHIP.
His decline is concerning given he is nearly 33, but his fastball velocity is somewhat stable, and the swing-and-miss is still present.
He had some bad home-run luck, which may make him an intriguing buy-low candidate.
Ginkel played a key role in Arizona’s 2023 World Series run, and his playoff pedigree could be quite valuable for the Dodgers down the stretch.
