Dodgers: The Trade Market Offers Better Relievers

The winter meetings are halfway over, and the Dodgers have not yet made a move.  The market for relievers appears to be the hot ticket so the Dodgers will need to find a setup man soon.

The second day of the winter meetings offered plenty of rumors although only one of them was linked to the Dodgers.  The Dodgers had interest in Tommy Hunter, but he later ended up signing with the Phillies.  The Rockies also signed a reliever as they agreed to a three year deal with Bryan Shaw.  The contracts for relievers are flying, and if the Dodgers are going to sign a reliever, they need to pick one up soon as they are flying off the shelf.

The one problem with the free agent contracts for relievers is that they have been very pricey.  If the Dodgers plan to once again bargain shop for an eighth-inning reliever they are going to have trouble finding a suitable option.  Hunter received eight million a year, and Shaw received nine million a year which is a pretty big chunk of change for a middle reliever.  If the Dodgers let Brandon Morrow go for approximately ten million a season, then they are not going to offer a lesser option eight to nine million dollars a season.

The best non-closer left on the reliever market is Addison Reed, and he is probably going to get a three-year deal for eight to nine million dollars a season.  That would appear to price him out of the Dodgers range.  If the Dodgers are going to find their seventh or eighth inning reliever in free agency, they are going to have to find an underrated option like Joe Smith or Anthony Swarzak.  Those options would be solid, but it would be settling for a team that has a big need to upgrade their bullpen.

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The trade market offers much better relievers for a better price like Kelvin Herrera, Brad Hand, and Zach Britton.  Out of those three, the priciest would be Britton who is projected to get near 14 million in arbitration.  However, he is an elite closer when healthy and would give the Dodgers the best 1-2 bullpen punch in baseball.  He would also check the box of needing another lefty reliever since Tony Watson could leave in free agency.

Although trading for one of the aforementioned relievers would cost a couple of decent prospects, the salary for each of them is very reasonable.  Herrera and Hand are still in arbitration, and both will make most likely make under eight million next season which is less than Hunter and Shaw received on their new deals.  Herrera is a flame thrower who reaches 100 miles per hour and Hand is a lights-out reliever who became the Padres closer as the season progressed.  Either of them would be an upgrade on Morrow and an option that would be less injury prone.

While Britton, Hand, and Herrera are options that are definitely on the trading block, there are plenty of other top-tier relievers that could be had like Felipe Rivero, and Alex Colome.  Rivero would take a ton to get, but the Pirates are desperate for cheap young talent and could budge if the Dodgers offer a package of players like Alex Verdugo, Yadier Alvarez, and Keibert Ruiz.  For a rebuilding team like the Pirates, a reliever doesn’t have as much value to them.

Next: Projecting the Dodgers' next moves

Colome is in the same boat as he is the closer for a team that is projected to finish in last place.  Especially now that the Yankees are once again title contenders and the Red Sox will make counter moves, the Rays have fallen even further back.  Colome is a sure bet to provide the Dodgers with a strong bridge to Kenley Jansen if they could swing a deal for him.  Regardless of which way the Dodgers decide to pursue a reliever, the relief trade market offers the higher upside arms.