Dodgers: Best Under the Radar Trade Options for the Pen

2 of 4

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 25: Justin Verlander /

The Dodgers have already done their big spending for the deadline in their acquisition of Manny Machado. The team parted ways with five prospects, a few of which were blooming into serious talents, and added someone in Manny who will affect the team’s financial standing. That trade will ultimately change the team’s approach for any remaining moves they make prior to the July 31 deadline. Thus, under the radar options from the around the league are quickly becoming the most viable.

The Dodgers will go for bullpen help. With Kenley Jansen working as the team’s best reliever, the drop-off from him to the next best player is significant, as Scott Alexander and Daniel Hudson have not consistently proven their reliability in the late innings.

The bullpen has also dealt with injuries. Tony Cingrani has gone down with a shoulder problem twice this year and has not appeared in a game since June sixth. Pedro Baez, Josh Fields, Yimi Garcia, Dennis Santana, and the yet to appear, Tom Koehler, are also currently on the shelf.

So, with a need for bullpen help at large, the Dodgers could look to these under the radar arms from around the league to solve the problem.

KANSAS CITY, MO – JULY 21: Ryan Pressly #57 of the Minnesota Twins throws in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on July 21, 2018, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

The Twins came into 2018 hoping to go on another magical ride like they did in 2017, not the case. The struggling AL Central team currently sits nine and a half games out of first place and has a win percentage of .458. So, the spending and trading they did before the season began looks to be all for none.

The Twins struggles this year open them up to be sellers at the deadline and right-handed reliever, Ryan Pressly is a solid, cheap, choice for the Dodgers who could use his services.

At a glance, Pressly’s numbers are nothing special. A 3.52 ERA and a 1.413 WHIP do not scream “acquire me” but his numbers beyond the surface are well worth the trade. On the season, Pressly has a 122 ERA+ and a K9 rate of 13.1. In his 46 innings, the 29-year old Pressly has struck out 67 batters.

Pressly also sports elite spin rate numbers, working in the top-10 with both his four-seam fastball and his curveball. Due to the impressive spin rate, Pressly has generated a 34 percent whiff rate, an elite mark compared to even the league’s best.

Pressly is under team control through the 2020 season which would serve as probably the only price driving factor in this deal. Otherwise, Pressly’s overlying numbers and lack of experience in the later innings and high-leverage scenarios. The Dodgers could probably get away with acquiring him with a minimal prospect package complete with guys from the lower third of the top-30 prospects.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – MAY 5: Pitcher Seung Hwan Oh #22 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during the seventh inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 5, 2018, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

After the 2017 season, Seung Hwan Oh’s status as a major leaguer was in jeopardy. He owned a 4.10 ERA and a FIP indicating that it should have been worse at 4.44. The Korean born sophomore had an ERA+ of 103, down from the 212 he sported in his rookie year. Oh left his fans wondering if his first season in which he finished sixth in the rookie of the year voting, was a fluke, and the unreliable pitcher from 2017, was the real pitcher his team would be getting.

Oh signed with the Jays after spending just two seasons with St. Louis and has since proven that the elite pitcher from 2016, is the player that his team can expect and the standards he can be held to.

More from Dodgers Way

In 2018, Oh has pitched to the tune of a 2.74 ERA and a 1.022 WHIP. His ERA+ has climbed back to a mark that is well above average at 155 and he has struck out batters at a 10.6 per nine innings clip and despite all of this, his price tag should still be pretty low due to numbers that could indicate a slight second-half regression.

Oh’s FIP is currently at 3.07 and his hits per nine innings rate is at 7.2. That and Oh is a rental. The 36-year old is under contract for the remainder of the season and has a team option for the 2019 season. Oh is owed roughly one million dollars for the remainder of the season.

Oh has experience in the late-inning as he has served as the closer with Cardinals and the emergency closer in Toronto so the Dodgers could buy cheap and stick him at the end of the games right before Kenley.

ST PETERSBURG, FL – JULY 10: Sergio Romo #54 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches during a game against the Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field on July 10, 2018, in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Yes, you read that correctly. Sergio Romo, the former Dodger who lasted all of 30 games with Los Angeles in 2017 before being DFA’d, is on the list. Romo has had a nice rebound from his tumultuous start to the 2017 season in his time with Tampa Bay and he has propelled himself into a nice place for teams like the Dodgers to acquire the 35-year old.

Romo has not done too much in 2018 which has worked to keep him affordable in terms of prospects for a team like the Dodgers. Romo owns a 3.74 ERA and a 1.269 WHIP across 43.1 innings. He has also started five games this year in the Rays’ new “reverse pitching” strategy.

A Romo-Dodger reunion is actually more likely than one might think as the Dodgers have already been rumored to be scouting the Rays pitching. The report from the LA Times said that a Dodgers scout was in Miami for the Marlins and Rays series where they watched a trio of Marlins and Romo.

Romo, like Oh, is a rental which should also drive the price down to dirt cheap.

Next: Dodgers Way Quick Hits: Kershaw, Muncy, Urias, Trades

The Dodgers have work to do to make their bullpen postseason-ready. The question will remain, however, how cheap can the Dodgers keep their acquisitions but in terms of prospects and money.

Home / LA Dodgers News