Jake Dicker
As the 2019 Trade Deadline hangs in the near future, it is time to look to the current Dodgers roster and find where the team can upgrade. In previous years, the Dodgers have had an obvious hole that needed to be filled in order to chase a ring in October. In 2017, President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and his team of executives sent three prospects including Willie Calhoun (Dodgers #4 prospect at the time) to Texas for starter Yu Darvish, a move that bolstered a starting rotation that was in need of a quality arm. Last year, Friedman and Co. made the blockbuster trade to acquire four time All Star and two time Gold Glove winner Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles. With Corey Seager being ruled out for the year in April, the shortstop position was an obvious need for the Dodgers.
Looking at this years roster, the “obvious hole”, doesn’t seem to exist. The offense has been firing on all cylinders since they hit eight home runs on Opening Day. Among MLB ranks, the Dodgers offense currently sits at 3rd in runs scored (557), 7th in team batting average (.264), and 3rd in OPS (.819). The offense is clearly not an issue. The Dodgers pitching staff has been incredible all year. As a team, the Dodgers lead the MLB in ERA (3.34), and are 2nd in batting average against (.222). So, the pitching isn’t the issue. Well, when you dig deeper, you find the impressive team numbers are in large part due to the incredible performance of the starting rotation. The starting rotation has a league leading 2.95 ERA. No other rotation has a sub 3 ERA, and Tampa Bay, who consistently uses openers to throw the first couple innings of the game, is the only other club that has a starting rotation ERA below 3.50. To say the rotation has been good would be an understatement. Every single day, the player the Dodgers roll out as their starting pitcher gives them a strong chance to win a ballgame.
The most obvious need for the Dodgers is their bullpen. Currently the Dodgers bullpen ranks 9th in the MLB with a 4.07 ERA. For most statistics, 9th would be great, but in order to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy in very late October, the bullpen must improve. There have been too many times this season that the bullpen has blown a lead which resulted in a loss. Somewhat acceptable in the regular season, it cannot happen in October. Granted, you will most likely not see names such as Chargois, Sadler, or Garcia on an October lineup card. Names you will see include: Jansen, Kelly, Urias, Baez, and Maeda. The remaining spots are up for grabs. Depending on the health of Rich Hill, you could see Ross Stripling in the bullpen. Let’s look at four names the Dodgers have been linked to, and should consider acquiring to bolster the pen and lock down games in October.
Will Smith
The Dodgers are in need of left handed relievers and there are very few available on the market with the talent of San Francisco Giants closer Will Smith. After having Tommy John surgery in 2017, Smith has been one of the most reliable relievers in baseball, making his first all star game in 2019. This year, in his first full season as the Giants closer, he is 24/26 in save opportunities, with both blown saves coming after the all star break. A free agent to be, he holds a 2.55 ERA in 42.1 innings in 2019. He has given the Dodgers fits, as he has most everyone he has faced. Throwing mostly a fastball and wipeout slider, lefties are hitting .213, and righties are hitting .175 against him. The Giants are in an interesting situation. Currently, they are sixteen games back of the Dodgers in the NL West, but only 2.5 games out of a wild card spot. If the next two weeks go poorly for the black and orange, and they choose to sell, expect Smith to be on the move. Has one Will Smith ever caught a pitch from another Will Smith? I think we’d all love to see it.
Jake Diekman
I fully expect Jake Diekman to be in a different uniform on August 1st than the one he currently rocks for the Kansas City Royals. Serving as a middle reliever for Kansas City, Diekman currently holds a 4.76 ERA in 39.2 innings. Although Diekman is not the reliever that Smith is, he is going to be much easier to acquire. An acquisition for Diekman could be compared to the acquisition of Tony Watson in 2017. Watson was used as a left handed specialist, often coming in to face one or two batters at a time. Lefties are hitting .217 versus Diekman this year. Although this stat doesn’t jump out as incredibly low, you can never have too many quality left handed relievers in an October bullpen. A move made for Diekman at the right price (a low level prospect or two) is a low risk, high reward move for a team in need of left handed relief help.
Shane Greene
Shane Greene is perhaps the most intriguing arm the Dodgers could acquire at the deadline. Having a breakout 2019, Greene is one of the most dominant closers in major league baseball and is most likely going to be traded, as his value has never been higher. Currently a member of the Detroit Tigers, Greene is 22/25 in save opportunities, posting a 1.25 ERA and 0.86 WHIP through July 22. The Tigers acquired Greene from the Yankees in 2015 in a 3 team trade that sent Didi Gregorius to the New York Yankees. Once becoming a Tiger, Greene struggled to find his footing, finishing 2015, 2016, and 2018 with ERAs above five. His best season came in 2017 when he posted a 2.66 ERA as the setup man. This season, in his second full season as the closer for the Detroit Tigers, Greene has completely reinvented himself, currently ranking 3rd in the AL in saves (22). Greene was named to his first all star game, and not because the Tigers needed a representative. He earned his spot and deserved to be there. In small sample sizes, this season Greene has thrown two perfect innings against the Yankees and allowed two hits and no runs in three innings against the Minnesota Twins. He has not faced the Houston Astros. A three headed monster of Greene, Kelly, and Jansen would be very scary for opposing dugouts come playoff time.
Mychal Givens
Like both Diekman and Greene, Mychal Givens is a highly sought after reliever on a team that is not competitive and is incredibly likely to get moved. Givens’ best years came in 2016 and 2017 as the setup man for former Orioles shutdown closer Zack Britton. In those years, Givens’ ERA was 3.13 and 2.75 respectively. In 2018, the Orioles went into full rebuild mode and Givens became the full time closer. Since being moved to the closer role, Givens’ numbers have not been nearly as sharp. Last year, Givens finished with an ERA of 3.99. His walks were up and the strikeouts were down. This season, the ERA is even higher, at 4.23. The walks are up a tad bit from 2018, but the strikeouts are way up as well. The spike in ERA and walks over the last couple years is not necessarily the trend you want to see from a reliever you are interested in acquiring. Fortunately for the Dodgers, they would not be using Givens in the closer role, as that job belongs to Kenley Jansen. Even if Jansen somehow loses that job, Givens would not be the next option if he is acquired. As a member of the Dodgers, Givens would be given the opportunity to slide back into the setup role, where he thrived for multiple years. Acquiring Givens will be no easy task, as multiple teams are interested in him, but for the right price, he would be a very good addition to the Dodgers bullpen.
The window to win in baseball is only open for a few different teams at a time. The Dodgers’ window is wide open. It is important to upgrade in any way possible come the deadline, but the bullpen seems to be what needs to most work, if any at all. In order to capitalize on their open window, the Dodgers should go out and solidify their bullpen to complete their championship caliber roster. The help could come from a player on this list, and it could come from a player that was not mentioned. Either way, expect the Dodgers to be active on the relief pitching market in the upcoming week and a half approaching the July 31 trade deadline.
