With lower than every week till baseball’s annual Winter Conferences, the aid pitching market is starting to warmth up. That signifies that if the Dodgers are aiming to purchase excessive, they might must act sooner somewhat than later.
Final offseason, the Dodgers assembled a formidable bullpen with the additions of Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, in addition to the return of Blake Treinen. However the aid corps proved problematic all through the season, combining for a 4.27 ERA and 27 blown saves, tied with the Phillies for the seventh most within the Majors. L.A. was nonetheless in a position to defend its World Sequence title, however the late innings have been typically tenuous.
Regardless of that, the Dodgers have been coy about whether or not they should come out of this offseason with a brand new nearer.
“I do not suppose it is a want,” normal supervisor Brandon Gomes informed reporters on the GM Conferences, “however it could possibly be a ‘good to have.'”
Here is a take a look at the Dodgers’ bullpen as issues stand and the way the workforce might tackle the late innings in 2026:
Which present 40-man arms might shut out video games?
The Dodgers’ 40-man aid choices embody Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius, Jack Dreyer, Paul Gervase, Brusdar Graterol, Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Damage, Will Klein, Ronan Kopp, Bobby Miller, Scott, Brock Stewart, Treinen, Alex Vesia and Justin Wrobleski.
Of these returning pitchers, seven transformed a save alternative for the Dodgers within the 2025 common season: Scott (23), Vesia (5), Dreyer (4), Casparius (two), Wrobleski (two), Treinen (two) and Henriquez (one).
The Dodgers are optimistic that Scott can bounce again after having a down season (4.74 ERA, 10 blown saves) to start his four-year, $72 million contract, however what they really want is somebody who can shut down right-handed hitters.
May the pitchers coming back from damage be a part of the answer?
The Dodgers sorely missed Graterol this previous season. The hard-throwing right-hander ended up being out for the 12 months after present process proper shoulder labrum surgical procedure in November 2024. Slotting him again in on the again finish of the bullpen could possibly be an enormous increase for the Dodgers.
One other right-hander who might make an impression is Damage, who accomplished his rehab from Tommy John surgical procedure by holding opponents to 2 earned runs in 9 1/3 innings (1.93 ERA) in a September stint with Triple-A Oklahoma Metropolis.
Whereas Stewart is prone to miss the start of 2026 after having a September debridement process on his proper shoulder, the hope is that he’ll be out there for almost all of the season. Earlier than being traded to the Dodgers forward of this previous Deadline, Stewart was the Twins’ setup man and will serve in an analogous capability with L.A.
Which free brokers is perhaps a great match?
There are additionally loads of mid-tier choices who could possibly be added, however the Dodgers should finally resolve if an even bigger splash is important. They’re already primarily paying Scott to be their nearer, so ought to they pay for an additional? That results in maybe the largest query surrounding the bullpen this offseason.
How badly do the Dodgers want one other nearer?
The Dodgers do not all the time select to call a more in-depth, however it’s often clear who the best choice is for the position. Such was the case when Roki Sasaki seized the ninth-inning position within the postseason.
The Dodgers’ bullpen nonetheless had its points, particularly within the World Sequence, however having Sasaki because the nearer appeared to have a stabilizing impact that restricted L.A.’s ‘pen volatility.
