Earlier this offseason the Los Angeles Dodgers let Chris Perez walk via free agency, released Brian Wilson and said they were willing to absorb half of Brandon League's salary in a trade. They also acquired Joel Peralta, Juan Nicasio and others to bolster the bullpen, but it appears they're not done yet.
According to FOX Sports' Jon Morosi, the Dodgers "are still trying to add a relief pitcher, sources said today." There are a number of big names still available on the free-agent market, including Rafael Soriano, Francisco Rodriguez, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Coke and others. Morosi also noted Soriano and Rodriguez, who have extensive experience in the closer role, are currently weighing offers.
Morosi said he cannot confirm that the Dodgers are one of those teams to make an offer, but they may be in the market for one of these two right-handers.
"You go back to the playoffs last year, and [Clayton] Kershaw has gotten a lot of the blame for that, but the problem was [manager Don] Mattingly did not have enough relievers he could trust," he told MLB Network. "So the Dodgers still want to add one more reliever back there."
Los Angeles did have a shaky bullpen throughout the regular season despite ending the year with a 94-68 record and an NL West division title. The Dodgers finished with a 3.80 ERA (22nd), 207 earned runs (19th), 206 walks (28th), a .239 opponents' batting average (15th), a 2.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio (25th) and 3.79 walks per nine innings (27th). Closer Kenley Jansen was perhaps the only consistent arm among the team's relievers after finishing with a 2.76 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 101 strikeouts and 44 saves in 68 games (65 1/3 innings).
The strikeout-to-walk ratio and walks per nine innings are perhaps the most glaring statistics that the Dodgers' new front office is targeting to mend.
"The one characteristic we value the most is the ability to miss bats," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. "When you can do that while limiting walks, it makes it that much more difficult for the other team to score."
Rodriguez (2.4 walks per nine innings) and Soriano (2.8 walks per nine innings) would fit the bill here, but Soriano has expressed interest in closing and Rodriguez is seeking a two-year deal, so it's unknown how significant the Dodgers' interest is.
We'll keep an eye on what they decide do in the coming days before spring training and coming weeks before Opening Day.
