The Los Angeles Dodgers have plenty of needs to meet in free agency, and ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez believes they will look for a closing pitcher before anything else.
The Dodgers invested in a closer last season, signing Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract after the World Series. Scott didn’t quite have the season the Dodgers would have liked, posting a 4.74 ERA through 61 appearances and blowing 10 save opportunities over the course of the season.
Their bullpen as a whole ranked in the bottom 10 teams across MLB in terms of ERA, posting a 4.27 ERA during the regular season.
“The Dodgers have one massive need heading into the offseason — they need a closer,” wrote Gonzalez. “More broadly, they need trusted arms late in games, particularly right-handed ones. Brusdar Graterol (coming off shoulder surgery), Blake Treinen (37 and coming off a rough year), Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein (hard throwers with command issues) are the incumbents there, and they all have questions. So look for the Dodgers to be really aggressive in that space, either through free agency or via trade, or both.”
The Dodgers have plenty of talent in the bullpen which they could move to the closer role, however with the options available on the open market, they should look towards free agency to address their need.
If the Dodgers do pursue a closer in the offseason, they have plenty of strong options in this season’s free agency class. Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez are two clear options for the Dodgers, as they each had incredibly strong seasons.
Should the Dodgers sign a closer, it would address potentially their biggest need heading into next season and serve as a huge boost to a team which has already won back-to-back World Series titles.
Photo Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images
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