4 Relievers Dodgers Could Target Now That Josh Hader is Off the Board
With the Josh Hader sweepstakes braking in Houston, the Los Angeles Dodgers must shift gears if they intend to add a relief pitcher before pitchers and catchers report to spring training Feb. 9.
Ryan Brasier, Robert Stephenson, David Robertson and Matt Moore are four free agents that should spark interest. The Dodgers have also been linked to closers Kenley Jansen (Boston Red Sox) and Emmanuel Clase (Cleveland Guardians) as possible trade targets.
Ryan Brasier
The Dodgers’ bullpen was the best in baseball after the All-Star break last season, and Brasier was a part of it. After he bombed out in Boston with a 7.29 earned run average in 20 games, Brasier signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in June and turned his season around in a hurry.
Brasier debuted for the Dodgers on June 21 and appeared in 39 games. He had a 0.70 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and allowed a .136 batting average in 38.2 innings. He limited opponents to 18 hits, struck out 38 and walked 10.
Robert Stephenson
With Hader off the board, Stephenson is arguably the next-best reliever available in free agency. Having appeared in parts of eight seasons, Stephenson is coming off his best major league campaign yet.
Stephenson began the 2023 season in Pittsburgh and was dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays in June, where he turned in a career-best 2.35 ERA over 42 appearances to end the season. During that stretch, Stephenson had the best strikeout-to-walk ratio (60-to-8) in MLB.
With the Rays, opponents could only muster 18 hits, 10 earned runs and a measly .138 batting average against.
David Robertson
Robertson, 38, isn’t the same reliever he was a decade ago with the Yankees, but he still has plenty left in the tank. Between the New York Mets and Miami Marlins last season, Robertson had a 3.03 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 78 strikeouts while tallying 18 saves. He also recorded 10 holds in 62 games.
Robertson has plenty of postseason experience, appearing in the playoffs in nine of his 15 years in the Major Leagues. His veteran presence could be a solid addition to a bullpen searching for another arm.
Matt Moore
The only left-hander on our list, Moore turned in another solid season out of the bullpen in 2023. He appeared in 50 games for the Angels, Guardians and Marlins with a 2.56 ERA.
It was an interesting journey for the veteran southpaw. He began the season with the Angels, going 4-1 with a 2.66 ERA in 41 games, but was placed on waivers in August as a cost-cutting measure and landed with Cleveland. After five appearances, the Guardians fell out of contention too and dumped him.
Ineligible for the postseason, Moore found his way to Miami after the Sept. 1 deadline. He went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four games and elected free agency in October.
An All-Star as a starter in 2013, Moore reintroduced himself as a reliever with a superb 2022 season in Texas. With the Rangers, he had a 1.95 ERA in 63 games. Currently, Alex Vesia and Caleb Ferguson are the only left-handers in the Dodgers’ bullpen, so adding Moore would give Dave Roberts another option when needed.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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Im optomistic on on Lux at SS. Dodgers just need one more SP to have great 6-man rotation. They’ll need it next year any way for Otani. Don’t worry about Hader. May could be among if not the best closer in the league with his nasty stuff and not worrying about getting 6-7 innings out of him. Go Blue!
Mr. Tighe makes an excellent point about Dustin May and Lux. I hope the Dodgers let Gavin play his way out of the starting shortstop. It won’t happen. Also, AF will get a starting pitcher before the season starts. Go Blue!
Brasier and/or Moore!
But we need a starter!
But since we need a starter, change the “and/or” to just “or”.
Friedman didn’t bring back Chris Martin after Martin was fantastic for the Dodgers . . . . Similarly, Ryan Brasier was fantastic for the Dodgers . . . . So, why should we expect Friedman to bring back Brasier?????????????